The Switch
by nicola de lenfent
Summary: Bonnie casts a spell to teach Damon a lesson about the pain his victims feel, and it goes horribly wrong.
1. Chapter 1

**The Switch**

_Prologue_

_So, this isn't exactly what I meant_. Bonnie frowned at her reflection in the mirror.

The last thing she remembered, she had was flipping through Emily's grimoire on a Friday night alone at home while Caroline was figuring out her Matt/Tyler drama and Elena was curled up somewhere cozy with Stefan. Elena and Stefan hadn`t told anyone where they had gone for the evening, undoubtedly in an attempt to get away from Damon and those maniacal, prying eyes. Bonnie had bit her tongue at the prospect of him roaming Mystic Falls unsupervised, but she knew what the time alone meant to Elena, so she kept quiet.

Music was blaring in Bonnie`s headphones, and she was sprawled on her stomach on the bed kicking her feet back and forth in time. Something by Paramore, about stopping the world from turning into a Monster – it had spoken to her soul as she munched her father`s famous chocolate chip cookies dipped in milk. It had been a rare uneventful evening when she found the spell and felt a delicious tingle of joy at the prospect.

_Switch_, the spell had been labelled simply: a spell to cause two spirits to switch bodies, bound either by a time period proportionate to the burning out of a candle's flame, or by a specified act known only in the heart of the spell caster. _Switch_, Bonnie had thought wickedly, her smile lighting up at the thought of punishing Damon for his many transgressions without even having to be near him.

_He was feasting on someone_, Bonnie thought. She knew it because every time a life was stolen from Mystic Falls in way she could have prevented, she felt that familiar pang of guilt – a pang of guilt that reminded her of her Grams, and of Emily, and of the vampire who was supposed to be her protector but was so much better at playing tormentor.

How easy it would be to make him switch places with his victim! Preferably in mid-bite! Right before she passed out from the blood loss, but not long enough for her body to die with his soul in it. As much as Damon deserved the death he had dished out so heartlessly time and time again, Bonnie shuddered at the thought of an innocent co-ed being trapped in his lifeless, cold body.

So, her mind filled with lyrics and blood pumping with a sugar, she cast the spell.

She cast the spell and fell into a comfortable sleep.

That`s what she remembered last: her father walking into the room, turning off the lights, and kissing her goodnight.

But now, as she gaped into the mirror, running her hands across the new angles of her face in the stark, dark room filled with cold, lifeless contemporary furniture, she knew something had gone horribly wrong. She was no longer the petite, caramel skinned witch with long black hair and delicate features. Her skin was a pale, cold white and her soft body was replaced with sharp, hard angles. She was taller, too, looking down at the mirror from an unfamiliar angle. But worst of all – her heart didn`t beat.

**BDBDBDBD**

_This is either the worst hang over ever,_ Damon thought as he looked in the mirror to see a petite girl with brown skin and pink lips wearing his trademark smirk and raised the edge of her cotton night gown up over her stomach and higher, _or the best_.


	2. The DamonBonnie Experience

**The Switch**

_**The Damon-Bonnie Experience**_

"Fantastic," I said, turning to view my reflection from all angles – and I do mean _all_ angles – in the little witch's mirror. Even my voice came out with that smooth, feminine purr. I mean, really, you would _never_ know – _never_ know – that it was really a centuries old vampire lurking behind the walls of this teenage dream. Her – I mean, _my_ – lovely brown skin was smooth and splattered with beauty marks in the most delicious of places. I bet no one knew that but me. Well, Bonnie and me.

"Hmmm," I thought, having just emerged from a steamy shower and enjoying the sight of rivulets of water slipping down my skin. Deciding not to bother with a towel, I made my way into Bonnie's incredibly girly room just as her father called up the stairs.

"Pancakes, Bon-Bon!" his voice called.

"Just a minute, daddy," I drawled out, sweet as ever.

Bonnie's phone had been ringing non-stop all morning until I finally took the battery out. I was going to answer it, _maybe_, when I saw the caller ID: _Psychopath_ it said. Maybe if it said "Gorgeous", "Sexy", "Ultimate Fantasy" or the like, I might have considered answering the frantic witch's call. But no, I was in no mood for her panicked judgment – especially when she was probably sobbing my eyes out, and I was here deciding how first to punish her with embarrassment.

But the date on the phone was a kicker: it was Monday. I could have sworn I passed out drunk on a Friday night. I shook my pretty little head – probably a side effect of whatever trippy drug or sick spell put me here. I looked down at my brand new, naked body: _not that I'm complaining_.

Sitting at her dresser, I rifled through her clothes deciding what I should wear to school today. _Cotton panties? That's it? No lace_. I frowned, making a mental note to go lingerie shopping after school. Correction – lingerie shopping with Elena after school. Wonderful. Not that I needed to know what Stefan's illicit preferences were, but girls helped each other try on bras all the time, right? Right.

I pulled on a pair of boring blue panties with a print on the back that made them look like super short jeans shorts. Little cheeky, I assessed over my shoulder, but I like. Maybe I will just wear these and pretend they're actually shorts. They could pass, right?

And again: I smirked, and Bonnie's lips curved up delectably. She should smirk more often, it was downright seductive. Except, maybe, I was slightly biased by her topless reflection.

Bras, bras, bras… I scanned the contents of her underwear drawer and frowned again. She had to have the most practical collection of undergarments I had ever seen. And I had been alive for a hundred and seventy years.

I shrugged, whatever – so _BonBon_ goes braless. Give the boys a treat.

I rifled through her drawers until I found a black denim mini skirt. I tugged it on, admiring how nice Bonnie's butt looked in the fabric and how long her legs – usually hidden in blue jeans – really were. Next was a white shirt that spread perfectly over my new breasts. I reached for her bag and said a silent prayer that she was nowhere near her time of the month as I swung it over my shoulder.

Next, I sat at her vanity, twirling strands of long black hair around my fingers. They were drying to be quite frizzy. What the hell do I do about that? I frowned and watched Bonnie's expression turn sour in the mirror. Oh yes, that judgy look. I knew it all too well. I perused the rest of her vanity and was frustrated with the tubes and wands and brushes that I found. What the hell was she, a clown? Bronzer? _What do you need bronzer for, you're already bronze_. Thank god I'm not a chick.

_Oh, wait_, I thought as I peered up into large brown eyes with thick lashes, _I am._

**BDBDBDBDBD**

"Bonnie," Caroline gaped at me as I sauntered my way up the steps to school. Ok, so I tripped a little bit on the wedges I had forced Bonnie's feet into, but I'm pretty sure her wide-eyed gaze was because of the instant sex appeal her body got being part Damon. When I reached where she was standing, I jut out a hip and put my hand on it, pausing to cast a gaze over my shoulder and smile at the boys watching. Tyler caught my eye and walked into a tree. _Dumb dog_.

I turned back to Caroline with a smile and really poured on the sweet: "Hi, Care Bear!"

"What are you wearing?" Caroline asked, her eyes scanning my body. I shifted awkwardly under her gaze before she clapped her hands together and exclaimed, "You look awesome!"

"I'm pretty sure that's your skirt," another voice came from behind, tapping me lightly on the back.

"Elena!" I said, maybe a bit too happily.

"Bonnie," Elena smiled. She was about to put her arms around me in one of those wonderful girl-on-girl hugs when I heard my own voice behind me.

"Bonnie," my voice said, angrily. I felt a small thrill of fear, like I'd been caught in the act, and turned on my heel to meet my own eyes. Weird.

But even more weird, I thought as my face scrunched up in stifled laughter, was how awkward she was in my body. She was wearing one of my black shirts buttoned up like ten buttons too high, and it was tucked into slacks – not jeans, slacks. No leather jacket. Dear lord, did she comb my hair to part like that? But worst was the fidgeting – Damon doesn't fidget. Damon doesn't look nervous over anything. She was going to give us away.

"Bon-Damon," I corrected, as I spun around. I cleared my throat and threw on my judgiest expression, planting both hands firmly on my hips. "What do _you_ want?"

"To talk," Damon said. "You weren't answering my calls."

"Why are you calling her?" Caroline frowned, crossing her arms and stepping in front of me. I grinned from behind her as Bonnie sputtered in my body.

"It's between us," Bonnie said, and I rolled my eyes at how whiney she made my voice sound.

"Damon," Elena sighed with barely contained annoyance, "Can't you leave her alone?"

"Elena," Bonnie said, surprise registering on her (my?) face before she clenched her (my?) jaw and frowned. "This is important."

"What could possibly be more important than school?" I drawled prettily. "My grades are very important to me."

Caroline turned to blink at me, like I had said the most absurd thing ever. Ok, maybe I was trying a bit too hard.

"Right," Elena chirped in. "It can at least wait until after school."

"Way after," I added, turning to Elena. "I was hoping to spend time with you. I missed you while you were away on your weekend."

Bonnie scoffed and rolled my eyes. Is that what I looked like when I did that? Damn, I was fine.

"It can wait," Elena said, turning to Bonnie with those pleading eyes that always worked on me. "Can't it?"

"No," Bonnie snapped. She crossed my arms in front of my chest, and I looked like a total twat. God, she was even tapping my foot. "This is important." Bonnie looked at Elena from behind my eyes, narrowing them to meet hers with desperation as she grabbed her arm, "If you'll just let me explain…"

"No!" I exclaimed. No way was she ruining lingerie shopping and pillow fights. "Don't listen to her—him, Elena," I exclaimed, pulling her back. I wrapped my arms around her in a protective hug. "He's just jealous you were away with Stefan all weekend."

Bonnie rolled my eyes in response to my devious smile when Elena wrapped her arms around me. She raised my hands in defeat and took a few steps back. "You're right. I'm an evil bastard who doesn't deserve friends." Oh no, was she sniffling? Were my eyes actually _watering_?

"Wait," Elena said, her face contorted with worry. "We'll come by after school. It can wait until then, right?"

Bonnie shrugged, "I suppose I've been waiting an eternity anyway. What's a few more hours?"

I frowned and gave in when Caroline tugged on my arm to lead my inside. The bell was ringing. Class was about to begin. Elena followed behind us, nibbling her bottom lip in worry.

"I worry about him sometimes," Elena admitted. "Stefan said he wasn't doing well last night when we got home." She lowered her voice conspiratorially, "I think he stayed in bed the whole time."

"He has issues," Caroline said dismissively, smiling happily at Matt as we walked by. She turned on her heel, hair flouncing as she listed reasons why Damon was beneath our concern. She disappeared into her first period class.

Elena paused outside another classroom door, her eyes on Stefan as he approached across the hall. I whispered to her quickly, a smirk on my lips, "If you have feelings for Damon, Elena, you should act on them."

"What?" Elena gaped at me, but Stefan was already by her side laying a gross, sloppy kiss to her perfect face. I turned on my heel and walked into the classroom, turning to wave flirtatiously before they turned away. Stefan's eyes met mine and I couldn't help the wicked grin that hit my lips.

It must have looked stunning on Bonnie – there was just something about good girls who did bad things – because when I sat down and crossed my legs, five pairs of eyes were one me.

Including Alaric's.

"Bonnie," Alaric said, arching an eyebrow as he approached my desk. I rested my arm on my elbow and my chin on my palm, batting my eyelashes as I smiled up at him. "Yes, Alaric?"

"Mr. Saltzman," he corrected, eyes shifting to the noisy students beside us to make sure they hadn't heard.

"Is something wrong?" I tried again.

"Why don't you tell me," he asked in hushed tones. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Why do you ask?" I said, letting my shoe dangle daintily from my foot. I tossed my hair behind one shoulder.

"Because this isn't your class." He frowned. _Oh_, I thought, feeling Bonnie's pink blush tingeing my cheeks.

"It isn't?" I asked.

"No," Alaric shook his head. "You take advanced classes in the mornings. You have history after lunch."

"You sure know my schedule pretty well," I said, my lips forming a tight, unimpressed line. This would have been a scary look on a Salvatore, I could only hope it was the same on the Bennett witch.

But Alaric just looked confused. "I'm your student mentor, Bonnie."

I pulled my books off the desk and stomped as I got up. I narrowed my eyes at him, my fingers curving into fists at my side.

"Well, now I just feel like an ass!" I exploded, scowling at the history teacher as I stormed out of the classroom, "Thanks a lot, Ric!"

**BDBDBDBDBD**

School was just as boring and pointless as I remembered it. Worst of all was history class. Really, how does Stefan stand it? Once you live it, you _really_ don't need to hear some nerdy historian's version of reality. And you really don't need to hear some moron in the back going on about the great, honourable Confederate army. Even _I _knew that was racist bullshit, and I was in the army – hell, even I knew it was bullshit and I was a murderous, psychopathic vampire. The look I shot the kid shut him up though, and I found myself wondering if Bonnie's witchy juju was part in parcel with her hot bod.

After school, Bonnie was waiting for me again. She looked a bit more unkempt this time, leaning against my gorgeous car. I tried to avoid her – even considered paying attention to the conversation the mutt was trying to start up with me – when I noticed the line of sprinklers on the field beside us. With a wicked grin in Bonnie's direction, I pulled my bag over my shoulder and thrust it at Tyler, not bothering to see if he caught it before moving forward.

"It's just so hot out," I called out prettily, jumping into the sprinklers. Enjoying the sensation of the water all over my chest, I took my time letting the water run down my new body and cling my shirt to my braless chest. Being a teenage girl was awesome.

"What the hell are you doing?" Bonnie asked, grabbing my wrist in her fist.

"Just cooling down," I met her eyes indignantly until she started to twist me skin and I cried out in pain.

"Well, stop it."

"Ow," I said, hating how girlish my cries were, "You're hurting me!" I narrowed my eyes at her when she didn't stop, "You're hurting _us._"

She loosened her grip but didn't let go. "What do you think you're doing? Avoiding me?" she lowered her voice and said with a threatening menace that send a strange tingle down my spine, "You're embarrassing me."

"Just living life, babe," I said flippantly. "Besides, this is obviously your fault."

She frowned. "I didn't intend for this to happen."

"I know," I growled, "You wanted to switch me with some weak co-ed, or one of those rabbits Stefan eats. Or a plant. Or, eww," I made a face when I saw my brother approach, "Stefan."

"You wish I'd switch you with Stefan," She said, poking me hard in the shoulder. I forced myself not to wince. She was so damn fragile. "Don't think I didn't see you clinging to Elena this morning. The whole school saw you!"

I rolled my eyes, "So you have a little girl crush."

"Damon," she said, warning in her voice.

"Don't threaten me," I yelled, poking her back. But she didn't even budge. Probably didn't feel it. I poked her again. My body was rock hard and unflinching. Damn, I was fine. "You wouldn't dare do a thing to hurt this body."

She arched an eyebrow at me and her lips curled with amused menace. It was the superior judgmental look she tended to get. Even on my handsome face, it was stomach turning.

"I'm not the only one with a reputation," she pointed out. "If you want to play dirty, we can play dirty."

"Do your worst," I challenged, narrowing my eyes at her. "Anything you do to me, I can outlive."

"Really," she arched an eyebrow at me, "Maybe your reputation as an asshole; but I doubt you'd survive long if the whole town knew you weren't the upstanding founding family citizen they thought you were."

"Like they wouldn't lock you up if I went around broadcasting that you're a witch," I retorted.

"Look," Bonnie said, something in her voice changing. "I think I know how we can break this spell."

"Maybe I don't want to break it," I said, my eyes shifting to Elena as she frowned at me from the distance. No doubt wondering if her poor Bon-Bon was safe next to the big, bad Damon.

"You have to," she pleaded. "I can't be stuck in this body forever."

"How about I trade you when you're 80?" I smiled.

"Damon," Bonnie tried again, "This isn't a joke. We don't know when we're going to need your evil vampy ways to save Mystic Falls. And we don't know when we're going to need my magic that you obviously don't have the mental capacity to operate."

"Blah blah blah," I waved her off. "Are you always this wound up? Just enjoy the ride! Relish the opportunity to be the resident bad ass for once in your boring life. I mean, come on, Bennett - bang some chicks."

"I don't see how you're enjoying this," she said, withdrawing with a weird expression on my face – a smile, "Being Bonnie Bennett isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"Looking pretty good to me," I said, nodding in Elena's direction.

"Right," she said, letting go of my arm and taking a step back. "You have fun, then. Spend time with Elena. Wear wet t-shirts to school and flirt with all the boys." She took another step back, the smile curving up with wicked pleasure and there it was again, that strange chill. "You might just accidentally hit the trigger and break the spell."

"Is he bothering you?" Stefan said, his hand falling on Bonnie's shoulder. I put on my best damsel in distress face and nodded.

"Next time," Stefan frowned, "Just take him down." He looked at Elena and nodded, "You two have fun." She stood beside me, all pretty and glowing and cute, as Stefan escorted Bonnie back to my car. I concentrated really hard, but try as I might, I couldn't hear a damn thing they were saying. Mortal hearing. Seriously in need of an upgrade.

Then Elena turned to me with a smile. "Bonnie, call your dad and cancel your plans."

"Why?" I blinked up at her. "Slumber party?"

"Even better!" she squealed, taking my hand. I looked down at our fingers intertwined and felt a pang of sorrow that my hands were Bonnie's dainty ones – and a momentary sense of surprise that holding hands did nothing to my level of sexual excitement. "We're going to a pool party."

"Private pool party?" I smiled. "Midnight swim?" _Skinny dipping?_

"Tyler Lockwood." She said, waving at the mutt in the corner as he tried to undress me with his eyes.

A shiver of disgust hit me when I realized: being Bonnie Bennett meant not being Damon Salvatore. It meant, not having super speed or super strength. It meant unsolicited attentions could not be turned away with a quick compulsion, and sexy women could not be seduced with a sly grin and _suggestion_.

Even worse, it meant I was Bonnie Bennett: single, conservative teenage girl whose stomach started to twist with anxiety at the prospect of being ogled mercilessly by dozens of teenage boys.

Teenaged boys with penises.

_Worst hangover ever_.


	3. The BonnieDamon Experience

**AN: Hi everyone! THANK YOU for all for all of the reviews, alerts and favourites. Hope you enjoy this chapter, too! I know Bonnie isn't as wicked as Damon, but I think she has her delightful moments =)**

_**The Bonnie-Damon Experience**_

_Concentrate_, I thought, willing my mind to be anywhere but on the hard, cold body my spirit was currently residing in. I stood under the shower spray wishing I could magically clean his form without having to touch him.

I mean, really, could it get any worse? _I had a penis!_ And the last thing I wanted to do was touch Damon Salvatore's one-hundred-and-seventy-year-old penis. Even if it was attached to, ok fine, the most marvellous male body I had ever seen.

Not that I had seen that many.

Ok, maybe I took a peek down south.

But really, wouldn't you?

_Concentrate_, I thought again. What had the spell said? We were bound by a time period proportionate to the burning out of a candle's flame – except I hadn't lit any candles when I cast the spell.

Or by a specified act known only in the heart of the spell caster. That was me, I was the spell caster. But does that mean the act is in _my heart_, or in my heart that beat inside **my** body which was currently operating under the control of a psychopath vampire?

Fudge.

_OK_, I thought, _breath Bennett!_ It's not all lost. This spell is temporary. We just have to figure out what that act was, and get it over with.

I turned the water off and pawed for a towel only to realize, of course, there were none. Leave it to Damon to find ways to parade around naked. I averted my eyes from the mirror, feeling like a total pervert, as I ran out into the room.

I hastily tugged on some underwear, my eyes to the sky, trying not the think about all the weird sensations and balance issues that came with this overgrown body. I must have been moving at vampire speed because when I glanced at my cell phone it was 6:02. I had woken up at 5:58.

I picked up Damon's iPhone, fumbled around with the buttons, and dialled my number after not finding "Bonnie" in the contact list. I frowned when the name showed up: _Bennett Bitch_. Classy, Damon.

_Why the hell wasn't that vamp answering my cell phone_? What is Damon doing right now? Probably touching himself – I mean, myself? – I thought with horror. Whatever color there was in Damon's pale, dead body drained at the thought.

He would be having way too much fun with this. _Way too much fun_.

I fumed in his room as I stomped around, pausing to pull a shirt on, buttoning it up as he usually did. _No,_ I thought, this was too weird. I did a few more buttons, covering as much skin as I could. Then I tucked the shirt in. There. Controlled. Steady. Reliable. Good guy.

_Good Guy? Damon Salvatore?_ I snorted. _Who was I trying to kid?_

"Good morning," I heard Elena's groggy voice rush into my ears, and I felt a spike of hope. Her voice was sticky sweat, and sounded as clear as if she were whispering a secret to me in math class. I whipped my head around, but I was alone in my room. Right, vampire hearing.

"Shh," Stefan's voice came back, heavy with sleep. "Damon's awake."

"Right," Elena said, a laugh on her lips, and I frowned. The sound rushed away from me as I forced myself to tune them out. They were hiding their conversations from Damon – probably to spare his feelings or avoid his interference – but in the end, he probably heard every sweet, whispered nothing.

_Ouch_.

I had seen them momentarily when they came home from their weekend. I had woken from a strange dream and crawled across a stranger's room to peer at myself in the mirror, trying to remember how I ended up there and thinking only of the spell. Stefan had come in and spoken _at_ me with some short, stilted words. He wasn't looking at me like a friend – his shoulders didn't curl protectively when he spoke to me. No, I was hovering over him instead. I had collapsed on the bed and closed my eyes.

"Stefan?" I had uttered weakly, surprised at how heavy the voice was escaping my lips, "I don't feel so good."

"What's wrong?" He had asked warily.

"Dizzy," I had replied, rubbing my forehead with my fingers. "Is Elena here? Maybe she can help."

_Ok, maybe not the best response in retrospect._

"Sleep it off," he had snarled.

_Brotherly love_, I thought slumping back into the bed and enjoying the feel of the expensive sheets. Thank god I'm an only child.

_Oh, wait,_ I sighed, _I'm not anymore._

**BDBDBDBDBD**

I tried to talk to him at school, but Damon wouldn't have it. Even in my adorable, innocent body he was an irritating, narcissistic prick. He had moments where he would look at me in that weird, trance-like way and I just _knew_ he was checking me – _himself_ – out.

When I parked at the Grille, I saw a freshman I used to babysit lurking outside. What was she doing here? School had just started. I narrowed my eyes at him to better assess the situation when a senior with floppy blonde hair – one of Tyler's friends – approached her. She looked so small in her cat eye glasses, frizzy red hair and mess of freckles. He tugged on her arm, and I heard her heart race: except not with excitement – with _fear_.

"Let's go," the guy said gruffly at her and I saw her eyes well up with tears.

I didn't even blink or think – I swear, it just happened. I was at the guy's throat, shoving him against the wall. "What exactly is going on here?" I growled, feeling Damon's fingers flex with ease into the kid's flesh. He was on the football team, but Damon didn't seem to have trouble taking him. _At all._ Seriously, I could have been knitting at the same time, it was that annoyingly easy for Damon to hurt people.

"Well?" I growled again, loosening my fingers a bit when his skin started to pale.

"We're on a date," he choked out. I turned to the frightened red head at my left. "Is that true?"

"S-sort of," she stuttered. I thought she'd grown out of that stutter.

"Yes," I shoved him against the wall again, "Or no?"

"Yes, we are," she said, obviously as afraid of me as she was of blondie.

I looked into her eyes and felt something switch inside me. "Tell me the truth," I said, and the hazy look she gave back made it clear I was compelling her.

"He's deciding if he wants to take me to senior prom." She said like a zombie. He twisted his face as if he was going to deny it when I clarified: "Do you have to sleep with him to go?"

She nodded.

I stared into her eyes. "You will go to school now. You will remember meeting this guy," I emphasized my words with another shove against the wall, "And telling him you're not interested."

She nodded at me, dumbly.

"Go!" I said. She went.

I turned to blonde jock in front of me. "Dude," I shook my head, "Kid's like fourteen, and you want to sleep with her? That is all kinds of creepy."

He struggled in my grasp and I let out a bored sigh and decided to compel him to.

Look, I know I'm all against compulsion and whatever – but this was for the greater good.

"You will not hit on girls below the age of consent." I said simply. "You will consider yourself lucky that she turned you down, and you will be nice to her when you see her at school."

He repeated me dumbly and I let go of him, watching his body slink to the floor. I clapped my hands together like I was dusting them clean of his filth.

"Right," I said, "And when you get back to school, do me a favour and stuff Bonnie into a locker." I hesitated, "Just this once."

Inside the Grille, I munched unhappily on French fries, dissatisfied with the dry taste in my mouth. I had a drink – a fruity, pink daiquiri – to stem the real hunger that I felt creeping at the pit of my stomach.

The bartender had looked at me like I was crazy when I placed my order, but I just scowled at him and he didn't dare say anything.

Yet, even in the relatively empty Grille (let's face it, it wasn't a lunch time kind of place on a Monday), I could feel female eyes on me. I heard their clicking heels before they entered the room, and sensed their eyes boring into the back of my skull. Or the back of my jeans, which was even more disconcerting.

I glanced around. There were five, maybe six women in here. Including the mousy Asian girl in the corner glancing up at me behind the pages of "Jane Eyre". Probably an English major at a nearby college – someone Damon would have never offered a second glance. Three of the other five were clearly married – gold bands flashing on their fingers even as they pulled their hair from their faces to get a better look.

I swung around on my bar stool and gave up looking disinterested or nonchalant. Leaning against the bar table, I raised the pink, frothy drink to my lips and took a sip from the straw. I made an effort to look as ridiculous as possible but still: all I could smell were hormones.

Gross.

Then a redhead approached me from the corner of the room. I kept my eyes pinned straight ahead though, and then everything slowed. Or well, my _mind_ was racing. It's like I could see and analyze everything before it happened.

The redhead licked her lips subtly.

The bookworm in front of me cast a sad glance at her and seemed to force her eyes to stick to the page.

The redhead's hips swayed in what was probably meant to be a seductive rhythm, but just looked silly in this empty bar where – let's face it – Damon's bod was the hottest thing around.

The bookworm let a piece of hair fall in front of her face, as if she was trying to hide herself. I frowned inwardly: I knew that look, I had done that look a hundred times. In fact, I had seen this scene a hundred times: the hot, sexy girl gets the hot, sexy guy and little, quiet, unnoticed Bonnie gets no male attention. Well, except Jeremy, but he hardly counted – he was Elena's little brother, and had just barely graduated puberty. Plus, did I mention, it took two other girlfriends _dying_ for him to finally get around to finding me attractive?

Well, _fuck that._

I blinked, and my mind slowed.

Before I knew it, the redhead was opening her mouth to speak to me, and I was walking across the room to take a seat next to the bookworm.

The redhead gaped – I almost heard her jaw hit the ground.

"Is this seat taken?" I asked.

"No, no," The bookworm hurried to answer. She blinked up at me from behind pretty half-circle eyes. "Go ahead, take it."

I smiled: she thought I wanted the seat. I sat down instead. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"Me?" she asked, glancing to her side like a total cutie. She pulled her silky black hair from her face to reveal her striking features. I sighed inwardly: why do such adorable girls get ignored because we're smart? It's really, _really_ not fair.

"Of course you." I smiled that Damon smile and she let her book fall closed on the table. "Actually, let me buy you lunch." After all, the credit cards don't come with no limit, I grinned, reaching into my pocked: "You can tell me all about that book you're reading."

And she did.

And it was lovely.

And I didn't even compel her to forget this strange side of Damon – though I was tempted to, who knew what he would do when he had his body back should she approach him?

To be honest, I was a little distracted. Being Damon really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. My mind ran faster than it ever had before. I could see, and hear and smell things (ok that's not _always_ a good trait) better than anyone else. I was stronger – and faster.

I mean, really. _I was a superhero_.

I ran a hand through Damon's hair, ruffling it up as I left the Grille. I almost wished I had grabbed his leather jacket to swing over one shoulder like a rock and roll God.

_You want to be little Bonnie Bennett_?, I thought: _Fine. I will be right here being super-Damon, defender of the weak and vulnerable. Protector of the innocent. The Vamp Crusader._

_And just to thank you_, I grinned to myself thinking of the wallet in my back pocket, _I'm going to invest in some new superhero duds._ _Hot pink tights, anyone?_

**BDBDBDBDBD**

"Next time, just take him out." Stefan said, clasping his hand over my shoulder. I forced him to meet blue eyes with green, already feeling the amused smirk that tugged at my lips. He had no control over my powers – he knew it, I knew it, and I didn't envy him the many nose bleeds that would come with getting used to it.

I, on the other hand, was having a pretty damn good time with his. Climbing trees and saving kittens, helping old ladies cross the street, finding fires to put out, making sure the hot guy across the street got out of his shower safely. You know, hero work.

Yeah, Damon Salvatore wasn't inherently evil. Well, his body wasn't. _Just his soul_.

As Stefan walked me back to the car like a cop escorting a criminal, I considered telling him the truth.

I played the conversation out in my head: "Stefan, I'm not who you think I am."

"You're not the creepy old vampire who was harassing teenagers today?" he would probably respond. That was Stefan, dead on with the critical character assessments. _Except for Katherine_, I could almost hear Damon retorting. _Touche._

But if I said I was Bonnie, he wouldn't believe me. Prove it, he might ask? Something only the two of us know? How about the fact that Elena has freckles in the shape of a constellation on her inner left thigh? The big dipper, to be exact.

_Right. That would go well._

So, instead, I said: "You know, Stefan, I'm not as bad as you may think I am."

"You're not the creepy old vampire who was harassing teenagers today?" Stefan inquired.

I frowned, "Not anymore." But even I didn't believe how the words sounded on Damon's voice.

"After 170 years, you're turning over a new leaf?" Stefan asked sceptically as I walked away from him and got into my car.

"Already turned," I assured him with a smile. I caught a glance of Damon's reflection in the rear view mirror. Damn it, I was going for reassuring but I definitely came off as snarky bastard.

I caught Stefan's eye before I pulled out of the parking lot. "I'm a new man. You watch and learn how to be the saintly Salvatore."

"Damon," Stefan frowned as I sped off. But I still heard the words he spoke next: "Should I be worried, brother?"

_Brother_. Not an only child anymore. This morning, the thought had filled me with dread.

Now I was ecstatic.

I was Damon Salvatore, cool guy extraordinaire with a limitless bank account, superhuman strength, and the ability to compel bad guys to do good. I was going to use this body to make up for every rotten thing the real Damon had ever done. Starting with Stefan.

_We're going to be besties,_ I thought with girlish glee. _No more macho 'I'm gonna steal your girlfriend'-did you eat Bambi for lunch-You're all idiots who I will turn/stake/compel/screw when it pleases me_ bullshit. From now on, I was going to be nice Damon. Super Salvatore.

My thoughts were interrupted as my phone buzzed beside me with a text.

"_Bonnie boobs. Hot. – kisses, D."_

I rolled my eyes: Damon's out there embarrassing me and running amok in my body, and I'm here earning him some freakin' redemption. Typical, just typical.

But the frustration didn't last long as another text lit up my phone.

"_Sorry we didn't talk. Pool party Tylers. C u there? – Elena"_

Pool party? Tyler? Damon going on about my breasts? This couldn't end well. I had to get there before Damon irreparably damaged my reputation – or my mortal body. But not without a pit stop first - I turned the car around and headed for the mall.

_Now_, I thought slyly, _where can I get a speedo?_

**BDBDBDBDBD**

_Elena's POV_

"I'm trying out for the football team," Bonnie announced, raising her glass in the air with so much force that beer spilled down on the floor of Tyler's pool house. People were laughing, drinking and swimming outside, but Stefan had insisted on staying sober in case anything happened. Drunk teenagers running around a swimming pool? That was my Stefan, always looking out for everyone else.

I frowned as Bonnie wobbled from her perch on the counter and held up a hand to steady herself. Just didn't think Bonnie would be one of the drunks needing to be looked out for.

"I brought beer." Damon interrupted, easily carrying two cases under each arm. He set them on the ground comfortably, nodding at Tyler when he glanced at him suspiciously. "What, you're underage. Just shut up and be grateful." As the guys lined up to take the drinks, Damon tapped his forehead like he had forgotten something and called out: "Drink responsibly!"

Then, he saw us chatting in the corner, and swaggered on by.

"Elena," he greeted me, but kept his eyes firmly on Bonnie in her little yellow bikini top. His eyes scanned her body and, when I thought she might zap him with an aneurysm, she jutted out her chin as if challenging him to look away. _Yeah, I'm hot_, her demeanour said. I shrugged, guess it was the alcohol?

"Bonnie," Damon said, his lips twisting into a smile. "Enjoying the party?"

"The party," Bonnie announced again, "is enjoying me."

Damon snorted – uncharacteristically – and grabbed the drink from her hand. "You're a hot mess."

"Hot," Bonnie nodded, looking at me to make sure I heard before enunciating each word slowly: "that I am!"

I cleared my throat to join the conversation, "Bonnie was just saying she wants to join the football team."

"Oh really?" Damon arched an eyebrow and finished Bonnie's drink in an easy gulp.

"Yup," Bonnie said, "Thought I should take up a dangerous, bone-breaking sport."

"Nothing to do with the naked guys in the locker room?" Damon challenged, crossing his arms. Bonnie seemed to rethink her decision, but before she could speak, he continued: "I've actually been looking into sports myself."

"Oh?" I said, surprised.

"I was thinking ballet," Damon said, meeting Bonnie's eyes. "I'd look good in pink tights."

Bonnie choked on the air in her throat, and I gaped at him.

"Don't worry, don't worry," he said reassuringly. "You know how some ballet dancers have huge packages that are so distracting and obvious when they wear their costumes?" Damon turned to me and smiled, "Yeah, I don't have that problem." Bonnie choked on her words again, but Damon held out a hand to silence her and fake-whispered to me, holding up two fingers to illustrate his point: "Seriously. Miniscule."

"There's a strip joint off Wilson Ave," Bonnie spoke very loudly over him. "I need to earn some dinero for college."

"What a coincidence," Damon said, "I was planning on doing the same. Maybe we can make it a double act."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Actually, I was thinking of taking up drag racing."

"You should use my car." Damon offered.

"I-You love that car." Bonnie frowned. She narrowed her eyes at him, almost like she was trying to compel him. "You will take good care of that car."

"Anything for a friend," Damon ignored her, smiling sweetly. He pulled a towel off of a classmate as she walked back. She turned to say something to him annoyance but was reduced to giggles by his gorgeous smile before she hurried off. Damon threw the towel to the caramel-skinned witch and muttered, "Cover up, will you."

"She's fine," I jumped to Bonnie's defense.

But she didn't need it. She hopped off the counter, walked halfway across the room, and then smiled pleasantly back at Damon as she let it fall to the ground. Keeping eye contact, she reached for the back ties of her bikini as if she was going to pull it free.

I scrunched up my face in confusion – _what had gotten into her?_

But I didn't have time to ask. Damon had scooped her up and carried her off somewhere, mumbling something as she squirmed and tried to yell, "Pervert!"

I should be worried, I thought. I should be worried about that. But I was too dazed with confusion.

Stefan came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. "What's going on with them?"

"I have no idea," I admitted. And we stood there in stunned silence, watching as Damon set Bonnie down on a counter in the relatively empty kitchen and, instead of fighting or zapping him with an aneurysm, she smirked up wickedly instead.

_No idea._

**BDBDBDBDBDBD**

_Bonnie's POV (in Damon's bod)_

"Seriously," I frowned at Damon as he jumped up on the kitchen counter. There were fewer people here – more seemed to prefer to mill about around the pool table, near the big windows with a good view of the pool. At least here I could stop him from exposing himself – myself, _us_ – to the world. "What is up with that outfit?"

"Just wanted to be," Damon smiled up at me from my body, "Waterproof. I know how much you hated the sprinklers." He bat my eyelashes, making me look like a total airheaded bimbo and reached behind his back to the string of my top as he said, "But I could always take it off."

"No, no," I said, scanning my body in the tiny bikini top with my hair pulled into a low pony tail at the nape. I gestured at my body, "We look cute."

"We do, don't we?" Damon grinned, "Elena dressed me." He lowered his voice, "As in, _dressed_ me."

"Let me guess, you feigned an inability to tie a knot and she helped you with your bikini top?" I said.

"I was joking," Damon's face dropped. "You mean she would have?"

"Damon," I teased condescendingly, "Don't be an amateur." I took another sip of my drink – I was on my fifth – _fifth!_ – I mean, my old body could barely handle two without having to run off to pee every three seconds. "I'll let you in on a little secret," I lowered my voice, "Elena and I used to play," I smiled, "Doctor."

"Bit late with the info," he scoffed, narrowing my own eyes at me. Is that what I looked like when I glared at him? Pretty powerful – damn, who knew? Little Bonnie Bennett can actually give a pretty good glare.

"You know, the bikini is kind of cute," I continued, "We actually match. You're wearing a bikini top. I'm wearing a bikini bottom." I pulled at the waistband of my jeans so he could take a peek.

"You wouldn't." He said.

"Try me," I smiled. The itty bitty yellow polka dot bikini bottoms were not the most comfortable things in the world. But should Damon choose to flash the crowd again, at least I had a nice little (and I mean, _little_) weapon to distract everyone with.

"I'm surprised you're not prancing around getting girls to pull at the strings."

"Didn't want to break your heart," I said, "When Elena turned down the offer."

"Harsh." Damon said, a smirk pulling at his lips. "But at least you're _wearing_ bottoms."

"Funny." I said, taking another sip of my drink.

He assessed me again as I leaned casually against the counter. "You're in a good mood."

"I've had a good day." I said. "Your body is not as bad as I originally thought."

Damon grinned and whispered conspiratorially, "Didn't anyone tell you if you do that all day you'll go blind?"

I frowned, sounding shriller than I intended when I said, "Not what I meant!"

"So what crazy adventures has my body been on?" Damon asked, his voice suddenly turning serious: "You weren't for real with the ballet thing, right?"

"Please," I snorted, "Like your body could do a plie."

"Oh, and yours can do all sorts of sexy, flexy things," Damon said, rolling his eyes. Then he met me with that teasing smirk that twitched my lips up at an odd angle. He almost looked playful. "Can it?"

"Don't ask," I said grabbing his finger as he poked me in the chest. He had that dazed look in his eyes again, like he was checking himself out so I yanked on his finger. "And don't try to find out."

Damon laughed, "And there goes the good mood."

"I've been thinking about the spell," I said, staring into my own eyes. No amount of alcohol can make that seem normal!

"When are you not?" Damon said, trying to peer around me.

"Listen, I think-"

"What did you say to Stefan?" Damon interrupted, though he wasn't looking at me. No, my bare legs were dangling off the counter as he traced the rim of the glass with a finger and popped it into his mouth. A wicked smile curled my lips and I felt my insides turn. _How did no one else recognize that Damon smirk_?

"What do you mean?" I asked, casting a killing glance over my shoulder at whoever he was aiming that flirtatious glance at. I felt a pang of guilt to see it was Jeremy. He clammed up and turned away in that shy boy way of his.

"He's been staring at you all night like you're mental." Damon said, turning those green eyes to my blue ones, "You know, more so than usual."

"Right," I said with a smile, "I may have decided to patch things up with my baby brother."

Damon choked on his drink. He narrowed his eyes at me. "You didn't tell him, did you?"

"Of course not!" I said, shoving him back, hiding my surprise at my own strength as the little Bennett body bent back over the counter and the drink spilled all over it.

Damon raised his hands in annoyance, looking down at my body covered in sticky alcohol. Then he peered up at me from my eyelashes and batted them in what I'm sure he thought was an attractive (desperate!) way.

"Look what you've done, you bad, sexy, sexy, vampire you," he said, running a finger across my collar bone. "Now I have to go find someone to lick this off."

I cocked my head to the side and raised an eyebrow in curious challenge.

"Who shall I let try first?" Damon said, scanning the room. "Jeremy? I'm sure that would make his life. Or maybe Tyler – he _loved_ your miniskirt, you know." Then he paused with a faux-innocent smile, "But then again, you knew that, because I'm sure you heard his heart pounding as he stared at you."

"Not at me," I corrected, meeting his eyes, "At you."

"Same difference," Damon dismissed.

"No," I said, turning with an amused look to see Tyler coming closer with that familiar leer on his face that he developed around puberty, "I think it's you. That Damon _je ne sais quoi_. Look at how the boys _flock_ to you," I spit the words in that special Damon-rhythm of speech. I walked around the counter as I spoke, leaning forward with my hands on it to whisper in his (my) ear.

"This is what you wanted," I said: Tyler came closer, and Jeremy was moving forward with paper towels in his hands, "To have their scratchy, clumsy adolescent tongues all over your body." Damon stiffened as I spoke. I heard his heart beat race and could smell the sweat pooling at his brow. My lips curved into a delightful smirk and I could almost hear the female heartbeats pound in response, "Not to mention their hands – big and awkward and," I lowered my voice so even Stefan couldn't hear, "horny."

Damon shuddered. I grinned. "I mean, I _could_ save you, but you don't want that, right?"

Another boy from my class, a blonde whose name I didn't know, took a step closer as well. I heard their heart beats pounding and could sense two more teenagers' eyes keenly on Damon trapped in my body.

"That's what you want, right?" I asked innocently, "Tyler and Jeremy dry humping you, pulling your hair and pawing at you in the most uncomfortable of ways." I cleared my throat and stepped back a bit as Tyler and Jeremy came in earshot. Tyler was topless, wearing just a pair of swim shorts and a smile. Jeremy's practical, sweet hands were filled with paper towels that offered Damon awkwardly.

I glanced at Damon's face, and saw my features twisted – pink lips snarled in disinterested disgust, eyes distant as if contemplating the next move. Then his lips moved.

Jeremy and Tyler couldn't hear it.

I would be surprised if Damon could hear my voice even as it poured from my lips when he spoke: "Help."

I took a step forward, raising an arm to block Jeremy and Tyler from approaching Bonnie.

"Out of the way," Tyler snarled, his eyes eating up my form. I shoved him backwards, my face set and angry.

Jeremy peered up at me, his eyes widening. I felt bad growling at him, but it had to be done: "Step aside, baby Gilbert."

"Bonnie," Jeremy spoke over me, and it was a struggle not to react to my name, "Is he bothering you?"

"No," Bonnie squeaked.

"She needs to be cleaned up." Tyler announced, extending a hand.

"Already on top of that," I said. I turned to Damon and scooped up his tiny form in my big, strong arms. I marched out of the room and across the pool hall, enjoying the stares that came my way to see Bonnie Bennett in the arms of such a handsome guy.

Damon snickered, tossing back a mocking wave at the stunned people we left in our wake.

I took a steadying breath, knowing I would probably regret this in the future but deciding that, what the hell, it was worth it.

With Damon still enjoying the attention we were getting (probably mostly because everyone was checking out his body in which I resided), I marched right up to the edge of the pool.

And then I dropped him in.


	4. Bennett Without A Cause

_**Bennett Without A Cause**_

_Alaric's POV_

Bonnie was acting strange. She was walking around in skin-tight black clothes, her hair slicked back and lips lathered with gloss. She glared at me in class. She didn't even take notes anymore – just seemed to be trying to set me on fire with her eyes. Once, I asked her a question about the Confederate army just to keep her on her toes.

She answered with incredible precision. You'd think one of the Salvatores had been privately tutoring her.

Tilting my head, I studied her as she walked down the hall. Usually, Bonnie smiled at everyone she passed in the halls, moving with small, agile steps to dodge the crowded halls. She used to spend a lot of time at Elena or Caroline's locker. She used to be ignored by most of the boys who preferred her best friends and left her standing dumbly in the corner.

That was one of the things that made her stand out from her peers: she had a determination and focus that they lacked. She had a sense of right and wrong that was unwavering. But that's what also made her unapproachable.

Everyone loved the flawed. I mean, look how popular Damon was. Can't get much more flawed than that.

Yet now, everything had changed. There she was, purposely leaning down to lap at the water fountain like a kitten with her butt sticking out, tottering on her heels. She smiled up at the Principal as he passed, and the look of extreme discomfort and disapproval passed his face. He shot me a glance and I nodded in acknowledgement.

I had been keeping her out of the Principal's office all week on Damon's request. _She was dealing with stuff_, he had said. _Go easy on her_, he had said. _After all,_ he hadn't even narrowed his eyes to deflect from his sincerity, _I owe her my life._

"Alright Bennett," I said loudly, approaching her and putting a hand on her shoulder. She stood up straight and turned to face me with that familiar glare. I mustered all the authority I could: "Get to class."

"Oh," she said with a strange knowingly look. She licked the corner of her lip as she nodded, "I get it."

"Get what?" I frowned.

"Hate to see me leave, but love to watch me go?" She turned and headed to class, flipping her ponytail to hit me in the face. She away tottered unhappily on her stilettos.

**BDBDBDBDBD**

_Damon's POV_

"There's something wrong with Bonnie," I heard Caroline say from the other side of the bathroom stall. I had been sitting there all through history class fixing my makeup and sending scandalous sexts to myself – I mean, to _Damon_ – or, uhm, _my old phone?_ Whatever. Either way, the real Bonnie Bennett was surely fuming at the lovely bendy moves her body made.

But no matter how salacious the slutty messages were about what I wanted to do to her behind closed doors and the graphic pictures that followed – she ignored me.

"I know," Elena said. Her voice was distorted in the ways girls are when they are applying lip gloss. I glanced at them from the crack in between the door and the stall.

"She's been so," Caroline let out a frustrated sigh of breath like she couldn't find the right word, "aimless?"

"Yes," Elena agreed.

"I mean, she's like," Caroline frowned, "Bonnie without a cause."

"She's all of a sudden got all this… energy, and is attracting all this… attention." Elena continued.

"And she seems ok with it," Caroline said. "Isn't that weird? And I mean, it has been a week since she warned us about Damon."

_What? She used to warn them about me?_ I frowned. I hadn't expected her to be singing my praises, but really, wasn't that a bit much?

"There's definitely something going on with her." Caroline concluded. "Has she told you anything?"

"No," Elena said, but there was hesitation in her voice. She knew something.

"Well," Caroline said slowly, probably sensing the same hesitation, "She deserves a break from being our witch on call."

"I guess," Elena said noncommittally. "It's just weird to see her not fighting for something."

"To be fair," Caroline said, "She was mostly just fighting for us."

Caroline's words made me smile for some weird, weird reason. I guess being in Bonnie's body made me relate to her a lot more. Her phone hadn't exactly been ringing off the hook for invitations to hang out. When I got Elena alone, it was usually at my request (or insistence). She spent all of her time with Stefan – it was sickening. The only time she called this week was to find something out for Jeremy.

_R u seeing Ty?_ She had said.

I hadn't responded.

"You're right," Elena said, "And we were forcing her to spend time with Damon."

"You were," I saw Caroline mouth, but she smiled sweetly when Elena turned to her.

"I hope she's okay," Caroline said, "And knows she can always talk to us. About anything."

"She knows," Elena said.

"To class?" Caroline said, her voice unusually chipper even for her.

"To class." Elena said.

Just before they left, Caroline turned to glance over her shoulder and wink at me.

_Stupid vampire senses_.

**BDBDBDBD**

High heels are not as sexy as they look. When I, ahem, _borrowed_, these killer 5-inch stiletto ankle boots with silver spikes up the back, I did not really consider what walking in them would be like. I was two steps from taking them off when, for the eighth time that day (seriously, I was counting), Tyler caught my eye from across the hall.

He did that super-intense squinty-eye thing that he, apparently, thought looked seductive and orgasmic.

I winced on his behalf. _Who did he think he was? Me?_

I turned on a tottering heel and tried to hurry down the hall. As I scurried along, dodging disgusting human bodies in the hall – all sweaty and gross from hours of (eww) learning – I finally ran into one that I could tolerate.

"Bonnie!" Elena said, grabbing my arm.

"Elena," I said, my voice coming out in the silky smooth girl-next-door melody that the Bennett witch had.

I admit, the earlier conversation I witnessed in the bathroom had somewhat cooled my initial feelings for Elena. She seemed so flippant about this change, I mean – obvious improvement – in Bonnie's character. The caring, big heart that I had been attracted to was not what it seemed.

_But you're crazy if you think that would stop me from getting a little witch-on-girl action._

"Where are you hurrying to?" she asked as I latched onto her arm when she attempted to let go. Leaning on her, I reached down to pull an ankle boot off. My bare foot hit the cold ground as I whipped my head around to look behind me. My high ponytail whacked me in the face, but I scanned the distance anyway without flinching. Tyler was stalking towards me predatorily. I suppose he was getting tired of my evading him on these fashionable stilts.

"Uhhh," I said, hopping to stay up as Elena grabbed my other arm as I twisted for my other boot.

My eyes widened as in front of me I say Jeremy. His face lit up when he saw me and he started towards me as well – not disguising his intents like Tyler tried to. Crap.

"Bonnie…?" Elena tried again.

"Uhhh," I stalled, hopping my other ankle boot free. _Okay, okay. Think._ Behind me was the wolfman with that dangerous leer, and in front of me was the puppydog who – although he wouldn't get physical with me – might follow me around _all day_ like he had after Bonnie – I mean, fake-wannabe-Damon inhabiting my sexy body – tossed me in the pool.

To my right were lockers.

To my left were classrooms and.. wait.. was that? Janitor's closet.

"Bye, Lena!" I said, hopping up on my toes to lay a big kiss on her. She turned her cheek and I missed her lips. No time for a re-try as she furrowed her brow in confusion, I ran.

I dodged bodies as I ran towards the janitor's closet. With my boots off, I was much shorter and could disappear more easily into the crowds of students emptying their lockers before they made their ways home.

A giant, immovable mass met me at the janitor's door, so I just pushed him inside with me.

Slamming the door shut behind me, we were plunged into darkness. Squinting, I could make out a broomstick in the corner and, grabbing it quickly, I wedged it between the door handle and the ground.

"Whew," I let out a tired breath as I slid against the door to the ground. These black leather pants were a bit too tight, making awkward noises as they rubbed together and hit the floor. The loose, short white tank top the floated above my new curvy frame was damp with sweat and exertion.

The room was small but cool. There were no windows to let the sun in but a few vents in the back kept the air circulating. I inhaled a lung full of pine sol.

"Bonnie?" A voice came from the dark. My eyes show open.

RIGHT, that body I shoved in here with me… I licked my lips and shot to my feel, ankle boots falling haplessly to the ground.

I squinted in the darkness but still couldn't make out who I was trapped with. Damn mortal vision! Clearing my throat, I offered a meek, "Hi."

He didn't say anything. It was definitely a male. I could feel his presence in the tight confines – he was practically towering over the pathetically short witch. I heard him take a step closer and could almost feel the room getting smaller. I wish I kept my heels on.

I bat my eyelashes a couple times and ran my tongue over my lips. Pushing my shoulders back, I adopted a seductive stance and tried the only sure fire trick to get my way that had been working ever since I woke up in this body: sex.

"Are you sure?" I purred, feeling my lips force a pout at the end of the last word even though I was doused in darkness and he couldn't see me. _Just getting into character_, I told myself.

I think he nodded – I could barely make out the curve of his jaw line, but it moved in the darkness.

Remembering Elena's wide eyes and confused mouth-agape look that I loved, I trained my expression to match.

"Are you sure?" I asked again, taking a step closer. I was right in front of him now. There was something weirdly familiar about him. I blinked a couple times and shook my head. _No, it couldn't be…_

The pop of the chain to click the light on sounded. It dangled between us in the small confine, the only noise in the room until he smiled and slid his hands into his pockets in that nonchalant way the girls seemed to love.

"_Stefan._" I sneered.

"Is there a reason you've locked us in this room?" He asked. His brow was furrowed (not that that was noteworthy) but his eyes had this weird teasing twinkle in it. Huh.

"I don't know," I said slowly, sizing him up. He wouldn't _attack_ me like Tyler or Jeremy would. Even if he did, I could just tell him the truth to get him off of me. No, Stefan wouldn't make a move for Bonnie no matter how smoking hot she was when Elena was on the other side of the door.

But still, there was something about that look in his eye.

"You don't know why you ran in here?" he challenged.

"I'm sick of them eye-fucking me!" I burst out. "It's disgusting! Like I'd ever go for a werewolf and a prepubescent child!"

"Right," Stefan said with a weird look on his face like he thought he knew something I didn't. I hate when he did that. He looked casually to the side and a smile started to tug at his lips when he looked at me again. "Not your type, huh?"

"Not exactly," I bit out. I took a step backwards to my shoes and made a big show of picking them up and sliding them back on – reaching out to the door to steady myself. I didn't even wince as the heels hit all the blisters and bruises on my poor toes.

"You're more into…" he began, like he was waiting for me to finish. His voice was suddenly close. When I turned around, he was right in front of me. I wanted to slap that smug, flattered smile off his face when he finished: "Vampires?"

"What?" I yelled, incredulously. There was a knock on the other side of the door.

"You heard me," Stefan said, the smile leaving his face. He regarded me with this serious, condescending look – as if he wasn't a centuries old teenager himself. I _may_ have rolled my eyes.

"You don't know who you're talking to." I said, fixing my eyes steadily on his.

"It's okay, Bonnie," he said, his voice lingering a bit too long over the Bennett's name for my liking.

"It's not okay," I snapped.

"I mean," Stefan clarified, shaking his head, "It's not _okay_. But it's nothing to feel bad about. These feelings will pass in time."

"What?" I screamed again. I could feel the muscles in my face contorting into utter disbelief.

"You know," he said, leaning backwards and crossing his arms in front of him as he studied me. I held my stance. "You're being awfully closed and tight-lipped, _ considering…_"

"Considering what?" I challenged.

"Your feelings," Stefan said, surprised I was asking.

"What feelings?" I growled. My fingers curled into fists at my side. Another knock behind me.

Elena's voice from the other side: "Bonnie, are you alright?"

"We're fine," Stefan called out before I could speak. His eyes were still on mine as he spoke. "Door's a bit jammed, but we got this."

"What feelings?" I repeated, keeping my face as impassive as possible. I crossed my arms in front of my chest.

"Bonnie," Stefan said with just a hint of exasperation. "Damon told me."

"Told you what?" I asked, feeling my face fall.

"You know," Stefan said, shifting awkwardly in front of me.

"No," I said through gritted teeth, "I don't know."

Stefan looked like he was forcing himself to keep eye contact when he said: "You're in love with me."

"HA!" I laughed, but really felt like I had been punched in the gut – the air whooshed from my lungs. I looked around the room erratically, trying to find words. Bonnie's stupid mouth was moving but no sound came out.

"I didn't believe him at first," Stefan admitted. "But why else would you drag me in here?"

"I don't," I said at last, shaking my head at the ridiculousness of the situation. "Like _you_." I felt sick to my stomach. I wanted to rinse my mouth from just saying the words!

"You don't?" Stefan arched a brow quizzically.

"No." I said firmly.

"Your heart sped up a few seconds ago," Stefan said, "When I said Damon told me."

_Because who knows what lies that damn Bennett bitch would make up!_

"Because," I began, but the words died in my throat.

"Because what?" Stefan frowned. "Damon said that's why you've been acting so strange lately – to get my attention. I noticed you haven't been confiding anything in Elena either. It makes sense," he started rationalizing and I had to force myself to stare at a mop in the corner to keep from rolling my eyes.

"What? Noooo," I said, shaking my head again. "If anything, Elena and I have been spending _more_ time together."

"But not talking about why you're acting up," Stefan said. He narrowed his eyes at me. "Even now, your heart is racing."

_From anger, you idiot!_ I narrowed my eyes at him, "Look, _Stefan_. Whatever Damon told you, is a lie."

Stefan leaned his head to the side as if he was deciding whether or not to believe me.

"I guess you're wondering why such a sexy stud like Damon would lie about a silly, awkward girl like _me_ liking you?" I almost choked on the last two words, but continued anyway. "Did you ever think it was to get between you and Elena?"

"I would have before," Stefan admitted. "Damon hasn't always been the best brother, it's true." He met me with those knowing eyes again, "There were times when I'd given up hope on him ever being anything other than a selfish," I gasped, "pompous," I was visibly taken aback, "arrogant," _Ok, I'll give him that one_ – "asshole."

"But?" I ground out the word.

"But lately it seems like he's turned over a new leaf."

"Oh, has sh-he?" I said.

"He has," Stefan insisted. "I know you've heard this before. I've defended him to you more times than I can count."

I blinked. "You have?"

"He's my brother," Stefan said firmly, "You know I would do anything to protect him."

"You would?" I said.

"I would and I have." Stefan nodded as if affirming his words. "Bonnie, he's even been leaving me and Elena alone in the house. Which is why when he points out instances of how your new, strange behaviour is showing a… _new_ interest in me, shall we say, I am inclined to believe him."

"Oh, yeah," I said, stabbing Stefan with my finger, "_NOW_ you believe him! How fucking convenient!"

"He's telling the truth." Stefan said, but it was more a question than a statement. I hated when he did that to. _Say what you mean, moron_!

"I just said that to," I stumbled on my words as my back came into contact with the door, "to-to.."

"To what?" Stefan frowned. "You admit you said it, then."

"I didn't mean it," I tried. "I was just trying to…"

Knock on the door.

This time, a man's voice: "Bonnie, are you in there?"

"Trying to?" Stefan asked, taking a step closer to me. He was right in front of me now, and his hand was reaching out closer, closer, closer to me…

"To…" I said, feeling this stupid witch body heat up with a hot blush.

But then the door swung open, and I stumbled backwards in my heels. Stefan reached out to still me, but the solid wall of human behind me beat him to it. I opened one eye and saw the broom stick in Stefan's hand. Of course he hadn't been trying to kiss Bonnie, I thought with a frown – he was just opening the door.

I felt indignation on Bonnie's behalf. She was hot. If he could be so lucky to kiss her! HMPH!

"Bonnie," Elena said, coming to the scene. The halls were empty now. Safe. "You're blushing." Not safe.

"I uhh," I said, trying to scramble free of the man behind me who had a strong grip on my hand. I whipped my head around to see a frowning Alaric. "RICK!"

"Stop calling me that," he said through gritted teeth. "What were you doing in there?"

"P…lotting?" I tried.

"She was hiding from Tyler," Stefan said, holding the broom stick up.

"Hiding for that long?" Elena frowned. She took a step closer to Stefan and he slung his arm around her. She nestled softly into his embrace and I glowered at them. Then she shot Stefan that look – that look he shoots her when she is cozing up to me – I mean, Damon… I mean, _ME_. Like her lover is being pursued by another.

I remembered the few jealous visages that may or may not have clouded my face whenever Elena and Stefan were together. How I slipped between them when they walked down the halls hand in hand. How I pulled her away from him at the party. _Fuck_.

I gaped. "Not _you!"_ I screamed at Stefan, trying to lunge at him from Alaric's embrace. I turned to Elena, "It's _you_, you idiot!"

"What is she talking about?" Elena said softly although I could see the sneaking look of suspicion in her eye.

Stefan shrugged, but he kept his eyes on me like he didn't know what to think.

"I'm not jealous of _Elena_!" I said, trying to lunge forward again. "_Elena?_" I scowled, "Are you _kidding?"_

"Bonnie!" Elena said, her fingers twisting into Stefan's shirt, "What are you talking about?"

"He thinks I like him!" I yelled, my face twisting with disgust.

Stefan's eyes widened, and he held his hands up defensively.

"He doesn't _think_ you like him," Elena said, taking a step in front of him. "Damon told us. Both of us."

I twisted to look at Alaric, my face doused in disbelief, "ARE YOU HEARING THIS?"

"Yeah, it is kind of weird Damon would be trying to protect your relationship," Alaric frowned pensively. "But, he's been preoccupied with other things lately. Maybe he's moved on?"

"He has," Elena said, like she was trying to convince herself.

"HE HAS?" I screamed.

"She said she didn't mean it," Stefan said – the voice of reason I was, _for once_, grateful for. "She was about to tell me her ulterior motive for telling Damon that."

"Well," I said, yanking my arm finally free of Alaric's grasp. I stood tall in my 5" stilettos, crossing my arms in front of me in a way that I knew – so I practiced in the mirror a couple times – framed my breasts nicely in this top. "If you must know, I said it to-" I blinked rapidly, suddenly heating up from all eyes on me. _Ugh, even Bonnie's body is a wallflower_. _If I were in my body, I would be soaking in the delicious attention._ I met Elena's eyes – so full of compassion, wanting to understand.

"To?" Elena prodded, relaxing her stance.

"Why would you say that?" Alaric said suddenly.

"It's such a weird thing to say," Elena agreed with a soft smile, like I wasn't standing right there.

Stefan frowned. "Ouch."

"Just teasing, baby," Elena said, leaning forward to kiss his lips.

"Jealous." I said, grinding my heel into the ground.

"Hmm?" Elena said, like she hadn't heard me.

"I said," I said firmly, raising my voice and tilting my chin up so I could look down at her from my stiletto-enhanced height, "I said it to make him jealous."

"Jealous of what?" Elena asked, her voice faltering. There was something in her eyes then that I supremely enjoyed: some desperate need to cling to Damon's – _my_ – undivided, sexy, lusty, irresistible attention.

"Of Stefan," I said as if it was obvious.

"Wasn't he already jealous of Stefan for being with Elena?" Alaric frowned.

"NO!" I said, a bit too loudly. I cleared my throat and tried again, "No. And by the way, he is not entirely blameless for that whole Elena-loving bit." I met Elena's eyes and saw – for the briefest second – a glimmer of guilt. "So don't act like he was _stealing_ something unwilling."

"Hey," Elena objected.

"You're defending him." Stefan frowned.

I took a deep breath. _You want to embarrass me by telling my own brother I love him? Ok, Witch – you're on._ "I like him."

"Why would you say that?" Alaric said, alarmed. He looked at me like I wasn't sane. Or human. Or feeling well. He pressed his hand against my forehead to test my temperature and I wacked it away.

"Hear my heartbeat, vamp-boy," I said, meeting Stefan's eyes. "Tell them if I'm lying."

He glanced at Elena, and she nodded her ascent.

"I can honestly tell you that I think Damon Salvatore is the sexiest, most charming, dangerous, delicious and divine man ever created to walk this earth," I said. And for added effect: "I even think his fangs are sexy."

Elena glanced at Stefan.

"I think she's," Stefan looked utterly confused. "Telling the truth…"

"Impossible," Alaric said, shaking his head.

"If you don't believe me," I smiled sweetly, "Check Damon's phone."

"I'm… sorry," Elena sputtered, shaking her head. Her mouth was agape, her eyes were wide – this was her sincere look.

"Don't worry about it," I said flippantly, turning on my heel. I glanced over my shoulder, not even noticing when my ponytail swung around to whack me in the face. I glanced at Elena, "And tell your brother and your little doggy friend, if they come near me again, I'll sick Damon on them." I pulled my lips into a serious line, "You know he's just waiting for my OK."

_Well,_ I thought with a sly grin as I made my way outside as sultrily as I possibly could, _that takes care of the boy problem._


	5. The Vamp Crusader

**AN:** **THANK YOU for all the reviews! Seriously. And thank you for thinking it`s funny, I swear no one ever laughs at my jokes in real life! I think it`s 10% me and 90% your amazing imagination. I know I'm lacking B+D lately, but don't worry – next chapter, I promise! **

_**Special dedication to andtheniwaslike – happy belated birthday!**_

**=)**

_**The Vamp Crusader**_

_Bonnie's POV_

_See you at the Grille_? I had texted Mr. Saltzman, ignoring the artful picture of my – _Bonnie's_ – décolletage uncovered with a black "D" tattooed over one of them. The caption had read "_tattoo practice"_.

I had just finished my latest night of hero-ing to make up for Damon's many, many, many, _many_ years of being an asshole. For extra karmic goodness (and alright, a deep seated love of Nicki Minaj), I donned for the first time my hot pink tights and pulled that lovely yellow speedo up over it. _Superhero style_.

It only fazed me a _little_ to glance in a shop window and realize Damon was still the hottest thing in town. _Sigh_, maybe next time I'll save the town in just the speedo. Or a tutu.

I ran into a burning building (pretty daring for a vampire, but with the speed and strength – not so bad) to save a family of kids I heard screaming a town over. I compelled some very young, misguided vandalizers to not repeat the crime and escape before they were caught by the Sherriff. I caught a peeping tom and hand delivered him to Sherriff Forbes who, having a teenage daughter herself, was very grateful.

"Vampire?" she had asked me on the sly, and – after a second of batting my eyelashes in that annoying habitual way I had when I was lying – I responded with a smooth fake-smile, "Would he be alive if he was?"

I almost gave the nurses at the local hospital a night off by doing a vamp-speed clean of the room and a quick injection of vamp blood to the entire cancer ward, but something about the scent really put me off.

I needed a friend. That's when I realized… Damon didn't have any friends.

Mr. Saltzman was already sitting there when I walked in and offered a friendly smile and curt wave. I was looking pretty dapper in a long sleeved grey shirt with blue pinstripes down the front left side and khaki slacks. Damon's hair was artfully parted on one side and sleeked down with some of Stefan's hair gel.

"So," I said, as he took in Damon's new and improved appearance. "How are things?"

"No teenagers dying. I'd say that's a good change," he said with a friendly smile.

"I would too," I smile for a good ten seconds before I notice the confusion in his eyes. _Damon wouldn't say that. _I cleared my throat and tried to catch the bartender's attention by smiling at him, leaning forward on the bar table. I crossed my legs prettily and reached up to twirl my hair around a finger when I caught Mr. Saltzman looking at me strangely again. I dropped my hand, lowered my voice and hit the bar once to get the bartender's attention.

"What can I get you?" he asked, and my brain skipped a beat. The only alcohol I'd ever ordered was a strawberry daiquiri. Wine probably wouldn't work either. Beer – my drink of choice in Damon's bod - definitely not.

"The usual," Mr. Saltzman interrupted, "For both of us."

The bartender nodded and went to pour some bourbon. When he returned, I took a sip in my most cool-guy persona. I was seriously emulating James Dean when the alcohol hit my tongue and I directly spit it out. Mr. Saltzman eyed me with concern as the coughing fit erupted.

"Wrong… pipe..?" I offered, hitting myself in the chest for effect. _Real smooth, Bonnie!_ "Uhhh… anything _interesting_ happen in school today?"

"If you mean with Elena," Mr. Saltzman shook his head, "Not really." _Eww. Mr. Saltzman updates Damon on Elena? That is sooooooo….Creepy? Stalker? Criminal?.. Damon._

"Though," he took a sip between words, his eyes growing distant as his thoughts overtook him. He shook his head and continued: "Bonnie's been acting up a bit."

"Bonnie Bennett?" I gulped.

"Is there another Bonnie in my class?" Mr. Saltzman smiled for a brief second before taking another sip. "I know she's not your favorite, but-"

"No, no, no," I waved my hands at him emphatically, "Bonnie – I like Bonnie. I think she's uhh, going through some stuff right now."

"When isn't she?" Mr. Saltzman said. I frowned at that: _what's that supposed to mean? _I thought I handled being a teenage witch, spell-casting servant to delinquent vampires, protector of Mystic Falls, and nose-bleeder extraordinaire quite well – particularly when you add in all those annoying teenage milestones I still had to deal with. Like being alone on a Friday night while my friends get their vamp on.

"Do me a favor," I said, forcing Mr. Saltzman to meet my eyes, "Keep an eye on her."

"Why the sudden concern?" Mr. Saltzman asked slowly.

"Let's just say my near future very much depends on keeping her heart beating and her body in tact."

"She's not your secret weapon," Mr. Saltzman began lecturing me. I kind of enjoyed it. I mean, he _was_ defending Bonnie's – _my_ – self-worth and I _had_ missed history class this morning (technically), so what's a little lesson on current affairs going to hurt? But it didn't last long because as Mr. Saltzman droned on about independence and feminism and this not being the backwards Civil War era and did I think we were still in the colonial era? And no wonder Damon fought for the Confederate army (_clever observation actually_)… it happened.

_IT_ happened.

I was hungry.

I smelled it before I saw it. My senses zeroed in on it like some kind of twisted GPS. Back corner of the room – about one, maybe two drops and more forming. Like a predator, my vision and smell practically zoomed in on it – I could feel my mouth salivating (probably teeming with anti-coagulants)!

Someone was bleeding.

I must have shot up from the stool because when I turned back, Mr. Saltzman had his arm on me. He was scanning my face with concern. I reached a hand up and felt the thick black veins that I knew must be appearing.

Hurriedly, I tossed him off of me and hid my face. "Just… go easy on her."

"What? Damon, what the-" he began, but I shoved him easily off of me. No more than swatting a fly.

"Go easy on her," I repeated, my eyes scanning his before I ran out of the bar. I knew I couldn't compel him, but I knew my eyes were ferocious anyway, "After all, I owe her my life."

**BDBDBDBD**

_Okay, I have a nice ass._

No wait, _Damon has a nice ass._ And it looks even more delicious than usual in these lovely hot pink XXL pink tights. I turned around in front of the mirror, peering backwards to see the curve of my butt. I did my usual Bonnie-Bennett's-butt-is-cute-and-fits-in-these-pants happy butt-wiggle quasi-dance. _Ok, maybe I could see Damon's appeal._

I turned to face Damon's body in the mirror looking back at me.

"You have to do better," I told myself. Mr. Saltzman totally knew something was up. I wanted back in my old form, that's for sure. But Damon was obviously not interested until Elena informed him she wasn't into girls and until then – well, until then I'd fix all the wretched things Damon managed to screw up in his life.

Like his relationship with his brother.

Like his duties to the community at large (and all of womanhood).

Like his dress sense.

I smirked at that, and was a bit startled to see that familiar wicked Damon smirk. His eyes glistened.

Let's try a scowl. _GRRRRR_. No, Damon's eyes are crazier. _Yup, that's it_ – all wide and squinty at the same time. It really gave him the look of a maniac.

Intense sexy glare in 3… 2… 1…

_Oh, dear_.

I guess I could see how Caroline was tempted by him and his so-obviously-fake/manipulative-it-was-hot charm.

_WAIT! _There was one look on Damon I had never, _never_ seen. Curiosity clawed at me as I took a step closer to the mirror.

Staring Damon's (ok, fine – _gorgeous_) icy blue's in the eye, I did it.

I smiled.

_Huh, _I laughed. He had a nice smile.

That was now a grin. Wow, his eyes were so… sparkly. The lines at the corners of his eyes were so charming in this light. A rush of good feelings spread over me – clearly this body loves being praised. _Damon's need to be loved_, I thought wryly and was struck by how true it rang.

"Do I even want to know?" a voice came at the door. I turned and saw Elena leaning against the door frame. I could hear her heart beat quicken as my eyes turned to her. I was still leaning against the mirror frame, one arm braced on it and I knew – from how her breath stuttered – that I was offering her a look she approved of.

_Oh dear._ I straightened hurriedly. In perhaps too proper a tone I said, "Elena."

"Damon," Elena drawled out, walked toward me with an unfamiliar twitch in her hip. Weird.

"What's up?" I offered, trying to decipher her body language as she took a seat on my bed. She leaned back a bit as she appraised me.

"What's with the new look?" she asked.

"You don't like it?" I frowned, glancing down at my duds.

"I don't," she gave me the once over, "dislike it." She smiled at me with her eyes, and I heard Stefan's feet downstairs. A suspicious, creepy chill rushed down my back.

"Does Stefan know you're up here?" I asked, crossing my arms in front of my chest. I spread my legs and looked down at her from the bend of my nose. Superhero pose.

"Of course," Elena said, straightening and casting her eyes away. _And here I thought Elena's confused feelings were all in Damon's head…_

"Can I help you with something?" I asked, turning back to the mirror. I couldn't look at her like this.

"I just wanted to check in on you," she said. I watched her approach me in the mirror. She rested a hand on my shoulder without even hesitating and then… smiled up at me as if waiting for me to turn to her and answer.

I shrugged her hand off. "I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm great, I've just," she smiled again, "Missed talking to you."

"Really?" I was genuinely confused.

"Really." She said, touching my arm again.

That's it.

I turned and narrowed my eyes at her: "ELENA GILBERT ARE YOU FLIRTING WITH ME?"

"Wh-what?" Elena said, taking a step back. I grabbed her hand with my vamp speed.

"Damon, let go," her brows furrowed and I let her go immediately.

"I'm sorry," I said, "I'm sorry, you just startled me."

"Startled you?" She asked, shaking her hand.

"Yes." I said, clearing my throat. I tugged on my sweater and resumed a more proper posture. _Think… Mr. Darcy. Colin Firth._ I felt my upper lip stiffen. "I told you I'm fine, so if that's all…"

"Damon," She frowned. "I've told you, there's nothing between us but friendship."

I gaped at her. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," Elena said with determination as she made her way to the door. She frowned at me and shook her head like she was chastising a child. I knew that look. It was the same look she gave me when she announced that my favorite color was yellow, not pink, since only one of us could like pink and she saw it first. Like you could see a color _first_! She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off.

"You know, maybe you should stop worrying about who does or does not like you and start focusing on the man who actually does." I stomped my foot for emphasis, crossed my arms over my chest and let out a small "hmph" as I turned my head away.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Elena asked, her voice seeming to narrow with her eyes.

"You heard me," I said, forcing my voice not to stutter. "Why don't you worry about your own boyfriend," I met her eyes now: "Before someone else does."

"What?" Elena said, her voice shrill as her hands flew up in the air. _Wow… from the way she was pacing, if she _liked _Damon, she LIKKKEEEDDDDDD Stefan_.

"What?" I repeated, my voice caught in my throat. I tried to clear it and ask again, but it was just as shrill the second time. I bat my lashes uncontrollably.

"You said," she said threateningly, jabbing my chest with her finger. "That _someone else_ is into Stefan."

"And?" I tried to shrug it off.

"And you've _never_ said anything like that before. You _never_ say stuff like that without knowing something." She grabbed my arm and forced me to look at her. "What do you know? Is it Katherine again? Because I thought that was over with."

"K-katherine?" I stuttered, "Pssh, naw, nooo… not Katherine."

"Who?" Elena frowned. "Who else could it be?"

"I don't know," I tried to brush her off of me. The house was suddenly silent. Stefan wasn't moving around downstairs anymore, I guess he was listening in too.

"Stefan, if you're eavesdropping, might as well join the party!"

He was before my eyes before I could blink. "What about Katherine?" Stefan really did frown with his _whole_ face. Before I could stop myself, I reached out to smooth his frown lines. He pushed my hand away and took a step back, between me and Elena.

"Katherine?" I said dismissively, "Why do you assume it's Katherine."

I turned back to the mirror and was startled to see Damon's face. I had forgotten whose clunky, giant annoying and dead body I was living in. I squared my shoulders and turned to them. "Stefan's a good looking guy," I said, knowing that would be Damon at his most generous (though really, Stefan was a cutie), "there could be any number of girls after him. I mean, he's tough, strong, popular…" _Ok, Bennett – now you're just babbling._ "Any number of girls could be into him. Not to mention his dazzling personality."

"His personality?" Elena said, crossing her arms in front of her. Her eyebrows drew together which meant she was thinking. Elena thinking – never a good thing. "So it's someone who he knows?"

"I don't know anyone." Stefan said, turning to walk out of the room. "Why are you bothering with him?"

"I have to know." Elena said, taking Stefan's place. She grabbed my face in her hands and turned it towards her, squeezing my cheeks together. I tried to speak, but only blubbered, garbled sounds came out. I'm pretty sure I said, "Ewenna pweeeehh legooooooo."

"Is it the new girl?" Elena asked, her eyes scanning over my face. She didn't find what she was looking for, so she tried again.

"Ewenna, dissss weel eee nut cunpheeeeee." My eyes fell to express how unimpressed I was. She shook my face frantically.

"Can't be… Caroline?" I laughed at that, but it came out as a whistle of huffing breath that scraped Damon's sharp teeth against his sensitive cheeks.

"Well, it's not Bonnie!" Elena said. Her eyes widened. She pushed me away.

"BONNIE? BONNIE LIKES STEFAN?"

"Wh-what?" I said, blinking rapidly. "Noooo. No, no, no. Definitely not. Bonnie does not like Stefan." I grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look into my eyes. "Bonnie does _not_ like Stefan." I tried the compelling thing (force of habit, that stuff is seriously hard to turn off!), but duh she was vervainified. I tried the crazy eye thing I'd been practicing – really wide, really narrow – it was kind of like hypnotizing. I shook my head as it made me dizzy. "Bonnie does _not_ like Stefan!" My mind whirred with all the crazy implications that had! Elena would _hate_ me when our bodies switched back! She would think I was a terrible friend! She might never speak to me again. "Are you listening to me?" My voice was shrill and high pitched. Stefan turned around from the door and was eyeing me with interest. "Bonnie does not like Stefan!"

I mean really, what would Damon think if Elena accused him of liking Stefan? If she refused to be around him anymore until he got over his feelings and apologised? If Stefan confronted him? If Stefan had to let him down easy to spare his feelings? If… Stefan was so touched by the crush he was extra nice to him. If… Damon had to pretend to be in love with his own brother to remain inconspicuously in my body?

I felt my grip on Elena loosen before I knew what I was doing.

"Yup, you got me," I shrugged, turning back to the mirror. "Dam—errr… Bonnie likes Stefan. Like, loooveess. Like, wants to jump his bones or... however you kids say it these days."

Elena let out a shrieking sound I hadn't heard her make

"Do I even want to know how you know that?" Stefan frowned as he watched Elena leave.

"Just enjoy it," I said, "Let her be jealous for once."

And then his face relaxed and he smiled. He didn't have to say anything as he left – I felt it in that teeny, tiny dark corner of Damon's dead chest where he keeps his heart.

I was warm all over with the brotherly love. In a totally platonic, non-threatening sibling-type way, Bonnie did like Stefan.

**BDBDBDBD**

You know, I always said that doing good deeds was its own reward.

Yeah, I was wrong. My reward came four days after the body switch. I was patrolling the woods for teenagers engaging in dangerous Vicki-esque behaviour and had just barely prevented an overdose with a quick dose of vampire blood – and a sexual assault by running a young girl back to the safe confines of her front porch – when it happened. I was all dolled up in the newest addition to my crime-fighting uniform: a fluffy, sparkling pink tutu that made me want to jump through the air all Black Swan like… except it was more like Candy-Cane pink Swan… and Damon wasn't really a swan. More like a macho duck.

I was making my way home, still in superhero mode, when I heard my own voice.

From my perch in the tree, I heard my own voice coming out of a tiny creature encrusted in tight black leather and hobbling barefoot down the street, red heels in hand.

"Bonnie?" I watched as my own face dropped.

"Damon," I smiled and dropped out of the tree. And curtseyed, because why the hell not?

"What the f—" he began, but I silenced him with a hand over my own lips, scooped my little body up (I was a lot lighter than I remembered) and deposited him/her/myself on my doorstep.

"What the f-" he began again, my usually adorable, bright-eyed face aghast, jaw dropped open and brows furrowed in inexpressible fury.

But I was off into the night before he could finish, "Just call me," I called out with my mind, "The Vamp Crusader!"

Life was messed up. But it had its moments.

As I reclined in bed that night, listening to my phone vibrate almost to the floor with Damon's 50 phone calls, I felt a wonderful feeling of smugness settle over me.

Even the weird _cravings_ that had only built up as the days went by couldn't stop this.

I _was_ a hero. I was _my_ hero. Because no one else was more heroic than the teenage girl who could make Damon Salvatore look like a fool.

Oh, come on, world – you love it, too.


	6. Wicked Cravings

**AN: Hi! THANK YOU for all of the reviews, favourites and alerts. I feel so awesome knowing I made someone laugh I know this is shorter than usual, but the next chapter (Bonnie's POV) is coming up soon!**

**Wicked Cravings**

_Damon's POV_

Shut. The. Fuck. Up.

I rustled the newspaper in front of my face again, blinking rapidly and forcing my eyes to adjust and readjust and readjust. Nope, it was real. Not a dream. Not that I could make this shit up.

Damon was a superhero.

_Which wasn't that bad, except, did he really have to do it in a tutu?_

**BDBDBDBD**

"This look," I said, slamming the newspaper down, "It _really_ doesn't work for us."

"Works for me," Bonnie shrugged from inside my body.

"Did you cast another spell?" I frowned, pointing at her/my/our crotch in the picture, "I look like a chick."

"I cut it off." She smiled at me, popping open a coke and taking a swig.

"Shut up." I said, leaning over to inspect. She reached out and pushed me away with my own hand.

We were sitting in the Boarding House living room where Elena had so graciously invited me, claiming we would be alone, only to surprise me with private time with the love of my life. My "oh, great" had sounded more sarcastic (obviously) than enthusiastic, but she didn't seem to notice as she walked out arm and arm with Stefan.

"So, let me get this straight," I said peering at her above the newspaper, "You get to be drop dead gorgeous – _literally_ – incredibly strong, fast, and charming," I watched Bonnie look at me from behind my own blue eyes, "and you run around in pink tights?"

"That's not all I do," she said in that supreme, judgmental holier-than-thou attitude that apparently hadn't dissolved with her new vamp bad-ass residence.

"Oh, right," I said as if remembering something, "You also run around ruining your own old reputation."

"Hmm?" she asked, arching one of my brows and pretending to be innocent.

"You told Stefan I was in love with him." I deadpanned.

"You were clearly horny," she said, stumbling over the last word in an innocent way that just felt… wrong… coming from my seductive lips, "And in need of male attention."

"That's incestuous." I gaped at her.

"Maybe now you'll learn your lesson," she said. Always with the lessons! "And stop flaunting my body to all the boys." She scanned my body, taking note of the impossibly short yellow dress that barely covered my butt. The straps were actually tied in bows sitting daintily atop my shoulders – ready to be quickly removed with an easy tug.

"This wasn't for the boys," I said, curling a finger around a bow daintily.

"Certainly wasn't for me." Bonnie scoffed.

"It was for Elena," I said, "Obviously."

"She's not into girls." Bonnie said, shrugging with faux-sympathy.

"Everything I could do to her in that body, I can do with this one," I smiled slyly. Bonnie rolled my eyes in disgust.

"She doesn't want you in _any_ body." Bonnie said. She paused wickedly for a moment before adding, "Probably not even Stefan's."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Don't underestimate her attraction to me."

"Whatever attraction she _had_ to you is being remedied," Bonnie said, glaring at me as well.

"Have you seen me?" I said, waving my hand in front of my gorgeous male physique that she currently had dressed in a sweater vest, bow tie and slacks. "Even in that outfit, she'd drop her panties in an instant if given a clear chance."

"Not after this spell is through," Bonnie shook her head. A strand of my hair fell loose from the combed and parted style she had it in – gag – and she actually reached up to tuck it in place. "Face it, Damon. You're coming back to a nice happy family where Elena is nothing more than your future sister in law."

I glowered at her, and she reached out to pinch my chin and shake my head. "I _am_ cute when I'm mad," she pronounced happily before leaping off the couch and heading to the kitchen.

Well, I wasn't going to argue that one. That was the only reason I let her live after trying to go toe-to-toe with me – how sexy she looked with her lips pulled tight and her chin sticking out, staring down at me like I was beneath her. She wished I was beneath her.

"So," I cleared my throat and strolled casually toward the kitchen, "Hungry?"

Her face fell into a solemn mask. She laced her fingers together on her lap like she did when she was concentrating on keeping her expression passive. To her credit, she didn't break contact with my eyes.

"Your skin is pale," I noticed, "I'd almost think you hadn't eaten since the switch."

She blinked.

"You haven't eaten?" I gaped at her. "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?"

"No!" She jumped up, "I just... I can't."

"What do you mean you _can't_?" I yelled, "It's your nature! Just down some blood!"

"This _body_ can," she said, "But I can't – I just can't bring myself to do it."

"Why not?"

"It's gross!" Bonnie exclaimed, scrunching up my handsome nose. Another expression that would look much cuter on her. I hope she didn't go around making these faces in front of Alaric. Or the Sheriff. Or Elena. "It's someone's _blood_."

"Oh, like you've never licked your blood when you've been cut before!" I rolled my eyes. My hands were at my hips and I stomped my foot on the ground. Strange what habits these bodies learn!

"That's different!"

"How?"

"It's _my_ blood!"

"You want your blood?" I yelled, pulling at my shirt's collar and sweeping my hair back to expose my luscious throat, "_Take it_!"

Before I could blink, I was deposited safely on the Boarding House porch steps, and the door was slamming in my face. That will-power and self righteousness was going to be the death of her!

Or, of _us_.

**BDBDBDBD**

_Blood-lust is a bitch._

Bonnie could run around in her little tutu all she wanted, but the least she could do is be around when I need her. But no – she doesn't answer her phone. And I sure as hell am not going within a two mile radius of her. Because I know what blood-lust feels like, and I certainly know what it feels like when a certain delicious witch is bleeding right in front of you.

I knew it was coming when her jeans didn't fit. I stretched and lunged and squirmed as much as I could, but the waist band was digging into me. Not to mention the breasts. They were incredibly sensitive and, honestly, really heavy. And not in the fun, sexy way. They hurt like a bitch, and even in her ugliest, softest bra, they pained at the touch.

But it didn't really start until school. Right before third period, I got my first.

I was hit with debilitating cramps. I doubled over at my locker, finger nails scratching into the metal. A painful groan came out in Bonnie's voice as I clutched my stomach.

"Bonnie?" Caroline asked, her eyebrows shooting up in alarm. She hurried over to me, her shoes clicking against the floor and threw an arm around me.

"Oh, that's me," I muttered without thinking.

"Are you alright?" she asked. She shifted my weight from the lockers to her arms and helped me hobble down the hallway. At least today I went with sensible white sneakers.

"I'm dying!" I yelled, "I'm being torn apart on the inside!"

A few students at their lockers turned to look at me. Jeremy's face looked white and ashen – he hurried to break eye contact. Tyler spared a sympathetic glance in my direction, though his eyes lingered a bit too long on my bloated boobs. If he even _thought_ about touching them, I scowled, I would tear his little doggy head off as soon as I was back in Damon form!

And then there was Elena. We passed her at her locker as we headed to the girl's room. Caroline let out a playful, sympathetic laugh at my exclamation, but Elena turned around to pin me with an annoyed glare.

"Bonnie, what's going on?" she asked, her eyes shifting around us as if to find a lurking enemy. For a moment, I felt sorry for her: must be tough to be the girl everyone wants to screw or kill.

"It's her time of the month," Caroline said, giving me a supportive squeeze.

"That's it?" Elena asked, her brows furrowing together. "Why are you making such a scene?"

"I'm not doing it on purpose!" I yelled, and I felt my eyes go wild and crazy. I narrowed them in on her: "You think I would _bleed_ on purpose? Bleed? For days? On fucking purpose!"

Her eyes widened, but she was largely unfazed. Reaching into her locker, she pulled out a simple black wristlet. "Emergency supplies," she said, "Pull it together, Bon! We have bigger battles to fight than with our uteruses."

"I don't," I said, wild eyed as Caroline took the clutch and thanked Elena. "Aren't you coming with us?"

"To the bathroom?" Elena lowered her voice as she closed her locker. "I'm meeting Stefan. You're a grown woman, Bonnie, I think you can handle a period."

"I'd give anything to have a penis." I moaned as another vicious cramp took me.

"What's that?" a voice said from beside me. I whipped around to see Tyler leaning against his locker with a smirk. Fucking men! "In need of a penis are you, Bonnie?"

"Shut up, Tyler," Caroline laughed lightly.

"Yeah, I am," I shot back at him, "Careful or I'll take yours." I raised two fingers and made "snip snip" motions to make my intentions clear. When we passed him, I tried to shove him against the locker, but without my vamp strength, I only succeeded in a meek nudge.

"Boys suck." Caroline said, ushering me into a bathroom stall.

"Yes," I said, feeling a strange sobbing emotion welling up in my chest. I frowned, a weird tension rushing to my face. Reaching up, I pat my cheeks. They were wet. I was crying. "Dammit!"

"Here," Caroline said, dangling Elena's emergency pack over the stall door. I reached up for it and pulled out a tampon. I pulled it out of the packet, examining it, turning it around and gulping audibly.

"You want me to..." I held it up in front of my face until my eyes crossed.

"Are you okay in there?" Caroline asked.

"I don't," I said loudly, licking my lips, "I don't need this."

"Honey," Caroline said sweetly, "You need it. You're bleeding."

And that's what I was. For the first time in almost two centuries, I was bleeding. _Bleeding!_

And in the most inconvenient of ways.

"Stop smelling me!" I screeched.

She laughed, "I can't help it!"

"Oh my God, I'm gonna do this," I said, pulling Bonnie's jeans down.

"Just slide it in," Caroline said, "You've done this before."

"I know," I snapped, "Just... distract me!"

"Remember last year?" Caroline said, "You just reminded me of it."

"Last year was a long time, _Caro_," I said, emphasizing her silly nickname as I assumed the position. "Be more specific."

"When we were at the Boarding House," she drawled it out like I should remember, "And you got your period during our study session."

My eyes snapped open. I _did_ remember that. I came home to the delicious smell of magic blood. I knew Bonnie was in the house when I pulled up. They were studying in the living room, like innocent little teenagers. "Yeah..."

"We went up to the bathroom and you were freaking out about not having tampons?" Caroline laughed. "Boy's house!"

She hesitated, as if she had expected me to chime in with her.

"Yeah, boy's house," I conceded, taking a deep breath and getting the tampon on. I shifted my weight awkwardly and felt my eyes tearing up again. Softly, I said, "Car, is this supposed to hurt?"

"No," Caroline said sweetly, "It's probably not in all the way."

"Ugh," I frowned, "Keep distracting me!"

"Right, well Elena whipped out her little emergency pack," I could hear the grin in Caroline's voice. "It was so funny! You should've seen the look of relief on your face." She paused, "Gosh, what did you say?"

"Dunno," I said, shifting my weight and testing the strange contraption. Ok, not so bad. I finished up, pulling my jeans back up and struggling with the button.

"Can't be bleeding when Damon gets back," Caroline said like she was quoting me. "I didn't get what you meant then, I thought you were _so_ weird."

"I am weird," I said, exiting the stall and heading to the sinks to wash my hands.

"No," Caroline said, "I didn't know about the whole vamp-sitch. But I get it now."

"Get what?" I asked. She extended a hand to me with two small white pills on it. I took them and swallowed in one go.

"Damon." She said with a shrug. "He gave you this _look_ that night."

"He did not!" I said a bit too excitedly.

"He did!" Caroline giggled, "He was totally feeling your scent."

"Shut up," I said, blush rising to my cheeks.

"It's true!" Caroline said. "I wasn't going to say anything; I thought it might upset you. But now that you like him too..."

"Too?"

"He's got a thing for you Bon Bon."

I choked on air.

"Every time you're around him, he gets that look. I didn't get it then, but now that I'm all vamped out, I see it too."

"What look?" I challenged, crossing my arms in front of my chest. What does vamp Barbie know?

"The one Stefan gives Elena." Caroline smiled, throwing her arm around me, "The one I give Matt! He wants to give you a love bite, baby!"

"Shut up!" I said, my face definitely burning up. I cleared my throat, "I think I have a fever."

"Uh-huh," Caroline smiled slyly. "It's almost lunch time. I have my car. Let's ditch our school and go for chocolate milk shakes."

"Chocolate milkshakes?" Why did that sound fabulous? Why did I think words like "fabulous"? These hormones were killing me.

"Yup," she said, "My treat!"

As we walked through the parking lot, I saw Stefan and Elena whispering in a corner in the hallway. Caroline tossed the emergency pack back at Elena. Stefan reached out to catch it and give it to her. She smiled at me, but it left me cold.

_Where were you when I needed you, Elena?_ I scowled in her direction. _Can't even help a girl put a tampon in! When Bonnie drops her whole life to save your ass!_

Bennett, you have the patience of a saint.

I smiled at the blond vampire, vowing to stop calling her Vampire Barbie... to her face.

With Caroline's bright smile and chattering voice filling up my senses, I felt suddenly very... loved. Appreciated. Cared for. This is how Bonnie felt when her friends were kind to her. I liked this feeling. I didn't want to lose this feeling.

This is how others felt when Bonnie was kind to them.

And now I was craving it: that Bonnie Bennett attention, like an itch I couldn't scratch.


	7. Wicked Cravings, II

**AN: Thank you, everyone, for your reviews and your PATIENCE! I'm really busy with school and life. I'm hoping to update more in December, with sporadic updates until then. Also, big thank you for everyone who voted for me in the Bamon awards :)**

**Chapter 6**

**Wicked Cravings, II**

_Bonnie's POV_

I groaned when I finally awoke. I was in a dark room, the only light was moonlight streaming in from two small windows behind me. I could smell dry blood in the air, could practically feel it crusting on the ground. My hands were chained down on a chair. I flexed my fists and tensed my wrists.

I blinked a couple times, trying to focus. _What to do, what to do? Well, what would Damon do?_

"_What would Damon do?"_ Ugh. Don't want that becoming a thing.

Damon's body could break through this, but it wouldn't easy. They'd been injecting me with vervaine and playing wooden darts with my body all night. It hurt like a bitch! I almost cried! But of course, this is Damon's body, and physical pain doesn't trigger crying – it triggers rage.

_Fudge_, I thought, squirming in the chair. _This isn't what I signed up for when I wanted to be a superhero_. Who knew saving a compelled girl from being fed on would result in two teenage vampires trying to kick my ass? Who knew they'd be successful?

_It's your trusting nature_, I could practically hear Damon saying as I pulled at the bindings. _Don't scratch the merchandise_.

Deep breaths. Okay, Bonnie, think. This isn't the first time you've been in a life or death situation.

_First time without your magic_.

Ok, true. But who needs magic when you have… superhuman strength, crazy sharp teeth and the charm of a psychotic, STD-ridden, blood-sucking southern "gentleman"?

I sighed, and something in the corner moved in response. I narrowed my eyes at her: she was a small redhead with brown skin. She was wearing a dress with rhinestones that shone a bit in the moonlight that seeped through an upper window. Huddled in the corner, she was cradling her head in her hands, rocking back and forth.

I listened for her heart beat. Nothing. Vampire.

In the next room, I heard the chatter of the vampires that brought me here. They didn't seem to hear that I had regained consciousness, so I pulled harder at the bindings and felt them come loose. Damon's skin broke, bled and healed in moments.

"She has to drink," The skinny guy was saying in the next room. I could practically hear his fidgeting.

"It'll be dawn soon," the blonde growled. I knew it was him because of the surfer-affectation to his voice. Clearly not a Mystic Falls native. I almost felt bad for him… must be rough to be a surfer who couldn't see the sun.

In the dark, I turned my eyes to the small girl in the corner. She only looked up and towards the door when we heard the sound of footsteps as they left the house. They were off to find her a victim.

As soon as they were gone, she turned to me. Even in the darkness, I could see the streaks of tears down her face. She got up immediately and came towards me. Leaning before me, I could see her more clearly now. _She was so young… maybe twelve? Thirteen?_

"I'll save you," she said to me, pulling at the shackles at my hands. "They want me to… hurt you."

_She thinks I'm human_.

"Why?" I asked as she slid a hairpin from her hair and began twisting the locks.

She shook her head as her voice trembled. "They want me to be like them."

"Like them?" I asked.

"You won't believe me," she said with a laugh that was choking on tears.

"Try me." I said, pulling at the shackles to loosen the lock for her. Finally, she got one open.

_Damon would've torn the chair apart and ran out of here_, I realized. Possibly taking her heart from her chest as he went…

"They're vampires," she said, her eyes meeting mine. She had stunning brown eyes. "They want me to drink blood."

"Are you…" I began.

"They killed me," she continued, moving to the next shackle. She started twisting it, and as the moonlight hit her hands I could see how dirty they were: dried blood all over them, and it wasn't hers. "And they've been trying to… feed me all night." She paused to shudder. "I heard the last one screaming. They didn't even…" she shook her head, "They didn't even compel her not to feel pain or anything…"

_Ugh, vampires – they were all the same. _I growled, feeling the anger rise up inside of me. I clenched my fists and broke free from the shackles without thinking. The girl shot up and away from me, pressing her back against the door. Her eyes were wide and stunned.

"You're one of them," she whispered.

Standing up in the moonlight, I realized: she could see the black veins on my face. I towered over her like this. She must be terrified. I shuddered to think of how cruel and evil Damon must look… I knew that face, saw it seconds before his fangs pierced my throat…

_What would Bonnie do?_

"I'm one of the good guys," I assured her, and offered her Damon's sweetest smile.

She cowered instead, closing her eyes and spreading her arms against the wall like she was bracing herself.

_Ok, so Damon didn't do sweet_.

"My name is Damon," I tried again, "And I'm one of the good vampires."

"No such thing," she said, shaking her head.

"What's your name?" I asked her.

"Marie," she said.

"Marie," I said, "It's nice to meet you." I shook my hands free, flexing my fingers. I felt as good as new in seconds. Good old vamp healing powers!

"Yeah," she said, relaxing a bit but keeping her eyes on me.

"Who were the guys?" I asked, keeping my distance. I slid my hands into my pockets and waited for her to calm down enough to talk.

"Matty," Marie said slowly, "And this guy from California… he took Matty first."

"Marie," I asked her slowly, keeping an ear out for the boys' return. "Do you want to be a vampire?"

"No," she said emphatically, shaking her head. "No. I don't want this." She whispered: "I'm scared."

"Of dying?" I asked softly, knowing that was the alternative.

"No," Marie shook her head, "Of turning into a killer."

"You know," I said gently, wondering if Stefan could do something. Save her. Make her like him. But the thought of a troubled thirteen year old roaming the world for centuries, hating herself, trying to survive by tearing people apart, chilled me. "If you don't feed, you'll die."

"I know," she said, meeting my eyes with determination. She had strange wonder in her eyes when she looked at me, "I don't want this."

"Okay," I said with a firm nod as I heard returning footsteps in the distance. "Then you won't have this."

**BDBDBDBD**

When I got back to the Boarding House, Damon was waiting for me on my (his) bed. He was dressed in a strapless blue plaid dress, and was lying in what I'm sure he thought was a seductive pose on his bed. He was flipping my cell phone in his hands.

"Tried calling you," he said. I ignored him and walked straight to the shower.

He followed me as I stepped inside and began to strip my clothes. If he wanted to gawk at his naked body from awkward angles, he could be my guest.

"Where've you been?" he frowned, leaning against the bathroom door and casually tossing and catching my phone, "It's been a week."

"I was busy," I said, my voice sounding more venomous than I intended. I watched the dried blood fall off my hands and down the drain. I grabbed the soap and scrubbed harder. _Out, damn spot._

"Too busy for me?" Damon asked, and I glanced to see his (my) face. He was batting his lashes at me.

"What do you want?" I asked.

He snapped his fingers and the water stilled in the air.

"Wha-" I turned around to glare at him. "My magic! You can use it?"

"I've been trying to tell you that," he spat out.

I got out of the shower, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around my waist. "Since when?"

"Since yesterday," he said smugly.

"Then you can turn us back!" I said excitedly. I caught a glimpse of Damon's body in the mirror. No scratches, no bruises. Nothing to show I had just ripped the hearts out of two young boys. No ashes on my skin, no burns to show that I had held a crying, scared girl in my arms while she disintegrated in the dawn. I shook the thought from my head.

_It was rough being Damon._

"So eager to turn back," Damon narrowed his eyes at me.

"I'm not good at being you," I admitted.

"Shocking," he rolled his eyes and plopped on the bed as I perused his wardrobe. "I've only been telling you that all along."

"Well, change us back," I said, reaching for a pink shirt and khakis.

"Ugh," he shook his head at my choice of outfits, "I might have to if you keep picking my clothes."

"I like pink." I deadpanned, turning to glare at him. I pulled the khakis on first, and stole a glance in the mirror. Damon looked great topless in slacks. Preppy, yes. But it made him look smart and sexy all at once: way better than the emo black on black.

"Black hides blood stains," Damon said, watching me check him out.

I didn't answer and he propped himself up on the bed, lying on his stomach and resting my dainty chins and my dainty hands. He smiled up at me. "I'm hot, I know."

"Change us back," I said, "We can go through the Grimoire tonight…"

"I kind of like being you," he said. "Much easier to get into the girls' locker room."

I turned to frown at him, "Stop trying to rile me up."

"What's wrong with you?" He asked, getting serious. He narrowed his eyes at me. "You're not your usual _chipper_ self."

"I hate myself." I admitted, sliding my arms into the pink shirt but leaving it unbuttoned. "I'm just like you."

"Not in your wildest dreams," Damon snorted. "I'm a bad ass. I tap veins. I break necks. I rip hearts from chests."

I met his eyes seriously.

"You didn't." He said, before a grin broke across his face. He slid off the bed and approached me slowly. Peering up at me, he smirked and it was unnerving to see his words come out of my mouth. "You killed someone. _Finally_!"

"No, not _finally_," I said, pushing him aside. He stumbled across the room, catching his balance before falling over and breaking my nose. I went to sit on the bed and cradled my head in my hands.

I could hear it all still: bouncing around in my head, the screams of the girl they had brought there for Marie to feed on. The look on Matty's face right before I snapped his neck. How Marie wailed at the sight in the background as I wrenched California's boy's heart from his chest. Then turning to Marie, holding Matty before her, waiting for her to say. _Kill him or leave him_? She closed her eyes, and before I could even _think_ there was a hole where his heart should have been.

I held her hand as she disintegrated into dust. And in her final moments, she turned to me and wrapped her burning arms around me.

I could hear it all: the thudding of the victim's heart and how it slowed as I compelled her to forget it all. The shovel in the ground as I left California boy in a shallow grave. Damon's heavy footfall as I walked, stunned, back to town.

As I cradled my head, I felt the tears finally break free and stream down my face. Yes, Marie would haunt me forever: the look in her determined eyes to not be a killer, to die on her own terms. And the moment I became a killer - when California died, and I held his hands in my heart, and our eyes met for one horrifying moment. But even worst than that was Damon. I remembered how Damon's body felt after it ended. Refreshed. Rejuvenated. _Almost humming with life_.

How Damon could never feel the burden of his deeds on his body. He didn't ache like I did after a spell. He didn't tire. There was no evidence to show anything had happened at all. And that seemed so much worse to me: to exist unexisting, to save and end lives and have nothing to show for it.

_No one knows where he's been and what he's been through_, I realized. There were no scars to mark his battles. Not that it mattered. _Life or death_. It was meaningless to him.

"Will you stop blubbering," Damon frowned impatiently. His hands were crossed in front of his chest and he paced awkwardly about the room. "I can't watch myself sob."

"As if you haven't cried in the past two hundred years," I wailed in his voice.

"Stop it," Damon demanded, stomping his foot.

"Make me!" I said, wiping at the tears.

"You're more childish than usual," Damon said, looking down his nose at me.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Stop crying right this instant!" Damon insisted, hands on his hips. "Or I'll come over there and spank you!"

"I'd like to see you try," I snorted through my tears.

"Your wish is my command," Damon said, and I saw him mentally file that one away for later. _Douche._

"At least you're not embarrassing me in public."

I sniffled at that, rubbing my hand against my cheek to dry the tears. It felt _so_ good to cry. My chest wasn't as tight as before.

"Yet," I said, pleased when he smirked at me.

"There's my wicked witch," he said, approaching the bed. He put his hands on either shoulder, and pouted at me, "Now tell daddy what the mean vampires did?"

"Pervert," I said, brushing his hands off of me.

"You can sit on my lap if it'll make it easier," Damon said, and then we both paused and our eyes connected and we laughed.

It felt better to laugh than to cry.

"I don't want to crush myself with your bony ass," I said at last.

"Save the lap sitting for later, too, then," Damon said.

"I killed a girl today," I said suddenly. Damon's eyes stilled at my words. They studied my face without the shifting or the narrowing or the psycho vamp eyes. They were just serious, and calm. Like he was waiting on my words.

"The sun came out and she died. And I just," I let out a deep breath, "Watched her."

"Why?" Damon asked softly. His reached out to grab my hand as it rested in my lap.

"She didn't want to transition." I said softly, glancing at our hands entwined. It should have been an odd sight but it was weirdly… comforting. "There were two vamps forcing her to feed and I…"

"Did the right thing," Damon said firmly. His eyes were sharp and angry when I met them, but they were distant too – like that anger wasn't for me. I watched as my jaw clenched and lips tightened: the unforgiving Bennett glare. Then he looked at me – really looked at me – and the look softened with understanding. "And the others?"

"Ripped their hearts out."

"That's my Bonnie," he said, and pulled me in for a hug. Even in my smaller body, he managed to press his lips to my forehead and stroke my back. "You must be tired."

"Exhausted," I admitted. _Hungry_.

"Rest," he agreed, and scooted backwards on the bed. I joined him, crawling toward him. I lay beside him, looking him in the eye for long moments and I saw the hardness in my own green orbs.

"I didn't realize…" I began, unsure of what I wanted to say exactly. But this strange appreciation for his cruelty, for his in-the-moment decision making, was welling up in my chest. For once, I felt like my moral compass wasn't quite as black and white as I thought.

"I know," he said, forcing a smile that I'm sure he thought was comforting but came off as arrogant ass. Even on my cute face.

When he reached out to stroke the side of my face, the moment felt surreal – like we were comforting ourselves rather than each other.

But I didn't think on it more as I slipped into a comfortable rest.

**BDBDBDBD**

_Damon's POV_

_I didn't realize_, she had said before she fell asleep. I imagine she hadn't cried like that since Jeremy died. And before that, since Grams died. _Except no one important died_, I frowned.

_Girls,_ I thought with contempt as I left Bonnie sleeping in my bed, _Who the fuck could understand 'em?_

Not to mention the hormones! It seemed the after effects of a good old fashioned girly witch bleeding was a renewed surge of power. I could levitate stuff. It was awesome while it lasted (about two days), starting with all the naughty things I did to annoy Stefan and Alaric. Alaric was easy enough. Tie his shoelaces together. Big dopes go down hard. Stefan was a bit harder, but watching him walk into lockers all day was fan-fucking-tastic. And of course there was Elena and how a sudden gust of wind could send her skirt flying. Too bad she was smart enough to wear pants for the rest of the week.

But now Bonnie wanted me to break the spell?

I had gone through her grimoire earlier and found nothing beyond simply levitation that I could do. It was impossible. Magic - useless, as usual. I even tried the books in the Boarding House library while she was off playing S&M with the kidnappers. Nothing.

Not that she could know that. No, no, no. Bonnie was still the enemy. Bonnie was still the one dressing me up in pink tutus. The stronger she thought I was, the better.

As she slept, I crept out of the house and tried to get back to my exciting life. I went home to prepare for my fabulous lingerie slumber party pillow fight fiesta with Elena and Caroline, when I got her text.

_Come over_, it said.

_NOW?_ I replied.

_Hungry,_ she said.

Bonnie's first feeding. _Dammit_. I texted back: _Heading to Elena's, be there in an hour._

_Now_, she said. I hesitated. Go to Bonnie in her time of need, or see half naked Elena bouncing up and down on a bed? _When did this become a choice? _I stuck to my guns and went for the obvious.

I went to Elena's first, a dark trench coat wrapped around me. Except the party didn't last that long. And I never bothered to untie my trench coat and reveal the delicate red matching bra and panty set I bought just for the party. Or the garter belt.

Because when I showed up, Elena and Caroline were sobbing over some movie with some blonde boy screaming in the rain at some chick with too red lipstick. And their faces were covered in goopy green face masks. Oh, and the lingerie? Sweat pants and tank tops.

When did life get this boring?

I took one look at them when they opened the door giddy and eager to usher me in, opened my mouth to say something apologetic, thought better of it and turned on one heel and headed to the car.

They called Bonnie's name at my retreating body, thinking it would convince me to turn around and come inside.

_Au contraire_, it just echoed the impulses in my head: Bonnie, Bonnie, Bonnie – that rang out until I knocked on her door and there she was.

Wrapped in my sexy body which was, for once, not wearing a drop of pink.

_Sweet mercies._

"Bonnie," I said, walking in.

"Trench coat?" She frowned at me, "It's not that cold out."

"It is," I smiled slyly, pulling at the belt in one swift motion, "When you're wearing this." I stepped out of the coat and did a quick 360 as her jaw dropped to the floor.

"Wh-What what," she stuttered, reaching forward and grabbing the trench coat. She threw it at me and I laughed happily.

"It leaves the guys speechless, I know," I said with a cheeky faux-innocent tilt of the head. I strutted my way over to the closet and hung up the coat. Looking at her with wide eyes, I pulled my hair over one shoulder and said, "Hungry?"

She licked her lips. Black veins started to curl around her eyes. It was like she was devouring me, and I loved it. The old familiar rush of the predator turning their lusty eyes at you (oh, Katherine) was fresh in me again. I walked up to her and rested my hands on her chest, "They're your veins."

"Actually," she said, and her voice sounded deeper and throatier than usual. Goosebumps started to appear on my arms and I rubbed my hands against them. I must be cold. "I thought I'd make you dinner."

"What?" I said.

"You can eat half dressed if you'd like," she said, turning back to the kitchen, "_At least you're not embarrassing me in public._"

"Touche," I said, as I followed her into the kitchen. As I took a seat at the table, I was hit by the scent of lasagne. And garlic bread. And – oh dear – tiramisu.

"This is as Italian as I get," she said apologetically, gesturing at the spread. I licked my lips and we both heard my stomach growl in response. "God, I miss being hungry." I met her eyes meaningfully and she amended: "For food." Then she reached to a corner and held out a white t-shirt at me. There were red stains near the hem.

I raised a brow at her, and she caught my gaze and shook her head, "Tomato sauce. That's why I took it off."

_Sure_, I smirked at her knowingly as she tossed the shirt to me. I tugged it on over the lingerie and it hung loosely on my body where it had previously fit like a second skin.

She handed me a dish with two large portions and a glass of wine. I took it happily, and began to dig in when I noticed she wasn't joining me.

"You _can_ eat," I said, cutting a piece of the lasagna and stabbing it with the fork.

"It would be useless," she said, watching as I raised the fork to my mouth. Her eyes were concentrated on my lips, and she licked her own as I took a bite. Even with my human senses, I heard her swallow as if she were salivating. I shifted in my chair. There was something strangely erotic about Bonnie leaning forward, licking and biting her lips as she watched me eat. It was almost like it wasn't the food she was craving.

If only she weren't in my big, masculine body, I thought to myself as I took another bite, I might take a bite out of her as well. With her eyes locked on my mouth and conversation stemmed, my mind wandered to lovely Bonnie in her own body.

_We'll have to do this again_, I thought. But then, Bonnie watching me _feed_ isn't the same, and probably not quite as sexy. I could imagine her disapproving in the most unsexy of ways. _Then again, there were other things to be eaten that weren't food…_

When I finished the meal and dessert and felt wonderfully full and well fed, Bonnie started to pack up the food and do the dishes, mumbling something about Stefan taking some for Elena in the morning.

And then he appeared as if summoned. Stefan came into the house and nodded a quick hello at Bonnie as she waved emphatically back. And then his eyes turned to me, barely dressed, my red bra and panties showing through the shirt, and the garter sitting comfortable on my spread legs. I crossed them quickly, and he turned away – but not before I saw his eyes turn dark with desire.

I glared at Stefan, feeling the anger rise. He walked past a bit too slowly for a vampire. His eyes lingered a bit longer than necessary – something Bonnie herself would probably never notice. Live with a guy for a couple centuries, you get to know their habits.

Post-switch to do-list, I thought: Spank Bonnie. Get Bonnie to sit in lap. Kick Stefan's ass for checking out my witch.

My hands curled to fists at my sides, and I clenched my jaw.

"What," Bonnie said, turning around to pick up my plate and slide it into the sink, "I thought you liked it?"

"I did," I said, "Thanks for dinner."

"You're welcome," she said.

"Now," I smiled, leaning over the table. I pulled Bonnie's hair to one corner and offered her my neck, "Your turn."

**BDBDBDBD**

_Bonnie's POV_

Feeding from your own neck was… weird.

I convinced Damon to take the party to the privacy of my room with minimal innuendos and wiggling eyebrows. It's not that I was trying to come on to him while he was still in my body (dude was all kinds of twisted). I just didn't want anyone to see me bending my neck to Damon's fangs… Even worse, I didn't want them to see me doing it willingly.

Especially knowing Damon and how he would likely go out of his way to embarrass me.

"Ooh," he moaned from his perch on my bed. "Damonnn!"

"I haven't touched you." I deadpanned from across the room. I leaned against the door, my arms across my chest.

"It's the anticipation," he assured me in a normal voice before flicking his hair over one shoulder and curling a finger at me.

"Why don't we do this in the bathroom," I mumbled… In case there was an accident. Or with the hospital on speed dial?

"No," Damon insisted with a practiced pout. "This is the perfect, perfect spot."

I rolled my eyes and walked over. "Ok," I let out a shaky breath as I sat on the bed beside him, "How do we do this?"

"You're such a virgin." Damon frowned. "You have zero sex appeal, you know that?"

"Well, I _am_ trapped in your body!" I barked back as he grabbed my arm. Even in my smaller body, he managed to pull and push me until I got the hint and took a seat behind him. Damon was perched between my (his) legs, exposing my brown neck to his fangs.

"How do I make them…" I muttered.

"Focus on my pulse," Damon said. I did.

His heart was pounding. I reached out to touch my skin, wondering how much it would hurt when his fangs were there - _was it the kind of pain my body would remember? _– when I heard his heartbeat pick up. It was thudding like a dancing drum. I ran my thumb down my nape – that was the spot I most loved to be kissed on. Weird, seeing it from this angle. Tentatively, I pressed Damon's lips to my pulse spot and heard a sharp intake of breath.

"Just bite me," he demanded, but it came out more a whimper.

"You're enjoying this," I accused, recoiling in horror.

"You would be too if you had my view," he said, turning to smile at my from behind his shoulder.

I glanced ahead of us and sure enough. There was a mirror.

"You're disgusting!" I yelled, reaching behind me to throw a pillow at him.

"You say that like it's news," he said, nodding for me to return to my position.

"You're totally getting off on me biting you," I growled under my breath.

"I'm not going to deny," Damon said as he reached out and grasped my hands in his. He pulled my forward, cinching his hands around my waist. He was seated in front of me again, tilting his head so I could access my pulse. The pull was so strong, I could practically see it beating under my skin. "That this is one of my fantasies."

"Being bitten?" I asked, though my mind was only half on his words. The pull of the blood was so, so strong. I could feel the need buzzing through my veins. The fangs were extending. The desire was rushing through me, and I had to increase my grip over Damon just to anchor myself to some sort of reality.

"Biting you," he said. I glanced forward and saw his eyes glued on the reflection.

My eyes were black, unfocused circles with veins extending throughout them. I turned away from the image, burying my face in his neck to calm myself.

"Do it," Damon's voice came to me like it was resonating in my head. It didn't sound like my voice. It didn't look like my body. It was like I was floating on another plane entirely. "Bite me."

So I did. I forced myself to scratch a thin line down my own neck and lap at the blood there.

The blood was weird, with a hot, thick metallic taste that I wouldn't soon forget. But it wasn't that that had me latching on for more.

It was a rush: the power, the strength, the way the world burst into bright, vibrant colors. It was intoxicating. Damon reached out to hold my lips to the spot. In the periphery of my hyper senses, I heard his breathing increase, saw the rise and fall of my own breasts in red lingerie.

Damon let out a content sigh, and I felt my hands flex around him instinctively.

"Bonnie," he said, and his words floated into the air voicelessly to spur me on.

And that's when I felt it. A boner. Pressing against my – well, _my lovely brown body's_ – bare thigh from behind these suddenly way too tight sweats. Damon squirmed against me and it only got more noticeable. And then he stopped. Suddenly. He felt it too.

I released him from my grip just as he shot up. The weird push and pull had him tumbling to the ground, and he reached up at the last second to take me with him. With vamp speed, I managed to protect my witch body from bruises, but not my vamp body from humiliation

Because there it was. Practically staring us both in the face. An erection.

"Shut. The. Fudge. Up."

We were staring at each other from wide eyes. I could hear my own heart pounding in my chest – I could _smell_ the sex in the air. Worst part? It only turned me on more.

"You want me," Damon gaped, his face contorting with disbelief. His words sounded so silly in my voice.

"No," I said, glancing down at the obvious erection, "_YOU_ want _ME_."

"No," He said, glowering at me, a growl in my voice as he squirmed uncomfortably in the red panties, "_You_ want me."

And then he smirked. "Not that I didn't know that already."


	8. What is this feeling?

**Once again, THANK YOU for your patience! I appreciate (seriously) all of your reviews and favorites! Hopefully this will bring a smile to your face! I hope this isn't too confusing, and that the characters' motivations are clear! The Damon side is coming out next. Ok, enough talk, it's Bamon time!**

_**What Is This Feeling?**_

_Elena's POV_

"Elena," Stefan's voice brushed my ear lobe at the party and I turned to him with a smile that quickly faded as I took in the serious expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked, feeling chilled. We were at a party at the Lockwood's, enjoying loud music and a room full of strangers and – for the first time, _ever_ – no drama, no danger, no Katherine. Or so I thought.

"Nothing major," Stefan assured me quickly. "But I hear something…"

He grabbed my hand and I let him, teetering out of the living room towards the pool. He pointed to the corner of the room.

And sure enough, there they were…

"Okay, _Glinda_," Bonnie sneered at Damon, "Whatever you say! You're such a judgmental bitch!"

"Well, you're a pompous jerk!" Damon yelled back, his voice more high-pitched than usual. He jabbed her in the shoulder, and her eyes widened at the gesture. Her green orbs narrowing as her lips twisted into a snarl and she leaped forward as if to bite his finger.

"Hey!" Damon squealed, pulling his hand back. With both hands on his hips, he looked down at the young witch who seemed so angry she might light herself on fire, "Don't blame me if you're a horny bastard!"

"You're one to talk," Bonnie scoffed, "You wouldn't know an orgasm if it hit you in the face!" She paused to sneer wickedly, "_literally_!"

"You're disgusting," Damon spat at her, his expression horrified. He stuck his nose in the air, "Maybe if you had _any_ sense of moral compass, we wouldn't be in this situation."

"Yeah, this is _my_ fault," Bonnie said, the words chilly with sarcasm. Her lips pulled up to one side as she stared him down. "_I'm_ the one with the crazy magic juju!"

"_Yeah_," Damon said, glancing around the room quickly and noticing the attention they had attracted, "_You_ are."

"Yeah," Bonnie said, speaking too quickly, "Well, you're the one with the boner!"

"Not _my_ fault!" Damon said, throwing his hands in the air.

Caroline was gaping at the couple from across the room, amusement clear in her eyes.

I set down the red plastic cup I was drinking from, intent to interrupt the scene before it got any more out of hand. Flicking my hair behind one shoulder, I cleared my throat and took a step forward.

But before I could get a word out, Stefan's hand was on my shoulder, stilling me.

Then Damon narrowed his eyes at the young witch, crossing his arms, and said slowly like a threat: "Don't pretend I'm the only one."

"Yeah?" Bonnie said, teetering even closer to him in her heels. She jabbed him in the chest again to punctuate each word: "Maybe I should go take care of that!"

"Really?" Damon sneered, his arms falling to his hips as he towered over her. "And what exactly are you going to do about it?"

A smirk.

"This."

I dropped my cup, the red wine spilling to the ground and staining my shoes. I hardly noticed when Stefan scooped me into his arms and removed me from the scene of the crime. Because that's what it was – _right_? A crime against humanity!

Damon Salvatore and Bonnie Bennett were making out in public.

**BDBDBDBD**

_Damon's POV – One week earlier…_

"I don't see what is so difficult to understand," I grated out for the fifth time.

Bonnie was pacing the room after the attempted feeding like she was going to grind a hole through the floor boards. After her little snack on my neck, she had tossed me a dress shirt to cover myself and I was taking my sweet time putting it on. _You can't go home like that_, she had said, averting her eyes in a pathetic attempt to change the subject.

"I mean," I paused to smile sweetly, fingering the edges of my red panties, "I _can_ take them off if you'd like to examine them."

"No, thanks," she said, pinning me with my own blue eyes. She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway, examining me as if lost in thought. Then, finally, she admitted as she averted her eyes, "I can smell you."

I felt the sly smile on my lips before I realized it was there. "Good old vamp senses."

"Just put the shirt on, Damon," she snapped as if unimpressed, but she had trouble meeting my eyes. I slid the dress shirt on, having to roll the sleeves up quite a bit before I started buttoning it. It brushed my thighs, almost fitting me like a dress.

"Covering me up is not going to remedy your," I leered at her, "sexual proclivities."

"Oh, whatever, _Damon_," she turned to scowl at me, her voice low and biting, "We both know you're attracted to anything with a vagina." She paused, as if in thought and then laughed drily, "Doesn't even have to be human!"

"Don't knock vamp sex til you try it," I said slyly, offering a flirtatious tilt of brow.

"Never gonna happen," she glowered.

She crossed her arms in front of my chest, leaning against the closet. So determined not to give in to my irresistibly seductive charms as I took my sweet time doing up the buttons.

"You're right about that," I said, narrowing my eyes at her, scanning those icey blues for a hint of myself in them. But all I saw looking back was good old Bennett stubbornness. It was almost adorable. "No vamp in his right mind would do you."

She glared at me with such ferocity that I thought she might growl. _Hot_.

"Good thing I'm not in my right mind," I smirked.

"Eww." She deadpanned. And then lightning fast another swatch of fabric was coming at me. It hit my face and fell to the floor, and I had to bend to pick it up. "Belt," she explained as I held up a green tie questioningly.

"Just face it, Bon-Bon," I said, licking my lips deliberately as I tied the scrap of fabric around my waist. "You want me."

She rolled her eyes, focusing on the belt that I tied into a lopsided bow. "Surely you can do better than that."

"Your body has betrayed your hidden desires," I continued, ignoring her glare as I stepped forward. I stopped scant inches from her, and I could see her fingers twitching to touch me. "It's not uncommon. I mean," I peered up at her from beneath full brown lashes, "Caroline's been there, Elena's been there…"

She snorted.

"What, no snarky remark?" I challenged.

Her hand shot out then and she tugged on the belt, pulling it from my body. Deftly, she threw it around me and began tying it into an intricate knot.

"Caroline was at least compelled," Bonnie frowned as she focused a bit too much on the task at hand, "But Elena I can no longer defend."

My jaw dropped. "You slept with her!"

"WHAT?" Bonnie shrieked.

Then I paused. "Given her taste in men, I should have known she'd have a thing for pink lycra."

"Are you insane?" Bonnie said, tugging more harshly on the tie than she needed to. She pulled the fabric taut, creating an elegant bow that only made it _incredibly_ difficult to exhale as she punctuated her words: "She just _may_ have more feelings for you than I originally thought."

"Shocking," I said, unnerved by the sudden quiet.

"But," she said quickly, as if she hadn't stopped talking at all, "it will be nipped in the bud by the time you're back in your bod," she reached up instinctively to flatten my hair into that awful side part, "You won't have to worry about Elena having the slightest interest in you and your… boners."

"Oh, really?" I challenged, crossing my arms in front of her.

"Really," Bonnie nodded with determination. "Elena and Stefan. Caroline and Matt. Everything the way it's supposed to be."

"And what about you, Bonnie?" I snapped, my finger poking her in the chest on its own accord. She didn't budge.

"What about me?" Her genuine confusion only sparked my anger. My palms felt suddenly warm, as if they were tingling all over with her magic.

"Who exactly is going to take care of _your_ wet, red lace panties?" I glared at her, felt the muscles in my face twitch.

She blinked, looked a bit taken aback. Then she met me with my own icey blues: "Not to worry, Damon dear, you've made sure I will not be in need of suitors when I return to my own body."

"Can't wait to get baby Gilbert's paws on you, huh?" I said, my voice more vicious than intended.

"Must get that Gilbert-lust from you."

"I can't believe you would even _consider_ letting that fumbling man-child touch you," I said over her, refusing to wince at her barb. So I wouldn't turn Elena away if she showed up asking me to scratch a particular itch.

"_I_ never said I would consider it," Bonnie said. "I'm not you, Damon. I'm not ruled by base desires."

"Hello!" I barked, nodding at the arousal her body had obviously felt earlier when my tongue was licking at her neck. "You need sex just as much as the next witch."

Her face fell into a steady, guarded mask – her lips a tight line as she bit out the next words. "That was not a real reaction. That was a repercussion of the spell," she paused, muttering the last words as if she was speaking to herself, "It had to be."

"Alright," I said, crossing my arms over my chest, "That means when we switch back, you won't be remotely interested in me and the _delicious_ things I could do to you."

"Obviously not." She scoffed.

"Remember, Bon," I said when she met my eyes, narrowing them with meaning: "I _know_ your body – every," I paused to smirk, "naked" and lick my lips, "angle."

"Yeah, well enjoy it," Bonnie didn't miss a beat, "Because it's the last time you'll be seeing it."

I felt the irritation flash over my face, but hers was a studied, guarded mask.

"You seem sure about that." I said, forcing my voice to retain a semblance of calm.

"It's a promise," she said.

"Then you won't mind placing a bet on it."

"The stakes?"

"Does it matter?" I said quickly, "If you're so sure you'll win."

"You'll leave Elena alone," she said, "If and until I fall for your 'seductive' charms."

"And when you do," I smirked, "You'll keep your opinions and your magic to yourself."

"Easy enough," Bonnie said, turning away.

I took a step back, "So confident."

"Damon," she pinned me with an exaggerated sigh, "If there's one thing in this life that I'm sure of, it's that I'll never fall for you."

"Who said anything about falling in love?" I said, as I took a step towards the door.

"I didn't," Bonnie said, still serious. "I meant, I'll never fall for your tricks. Because that is the _only_ way you could get me into bed," she said simply, "I admit, living your life has helped me understand you better. Respect you, _almost._ But don't be mistaken. I have exactly one feeling towards you."

"Don't worry, Bennett," I snapped back, "For once, your feelings are actually requited in full."

I slammed the door behind me as I exited, made sure to storm out of the house with equal rage. I brushed passed Stefan who _deliberately_ bumped into me in the living room. When he made a move to speak to me, I shot him a _don't-fuck-with-the-witch_ glare and he backed down.

It wasn't until I'd made it back to the Bennett house, my heart thudding in my chest, that I realized what that strange human emotion was forcing my hands to shake and my face to tense.

_Loathing_.

**BDBDBDBD**

_Bonnie's POV_

I didn't see Damon again until we were at the Grille two days later.

I was sitting by myself in a corner when they walked in – not at Damon's usual spot at the bar. I was poring over the grimoire again, trying to decipher the spell – trying to figure out the trigger to send us back into our rightful bodies – and lives – when they made their way to a table, drinks in hand.

Elena did a quick skim of the room to assess who was present. Her eyes fell on me and she offered a small smile, but made no other motion of acknowledgement.

Caroline was lost in her own world, her mouth moving a mile a minute as she spoke excitedly to Damon.

Damon glanced at me and held my gaze. He shot me my own most dazzling smile, and I couldn't help frowning in return. He was in a long cardigan and skinny jeans that tucked into practical flat-heeled boots. My hair had been twisted into a French braid that ended in a low pony tail at my nape. For me, this look was classy and pretty. For Damon, it was downright prudish.

My eyes narrowed as I studied them. _What's he up to?_

With our eye contact unbroken, he raised his coke to his lips, pausing to sip daintily from the straw.

_The delicious things I could do to you_… Damon's words invaded my mind and I had to literally shudder to free myself of them.

"Damon," Stefan's voice surprised me as he took a seat beside me. I pulled my napkin over the grimoire as casually as I could manage.

"Stefan," I nodded in greeting. My ears zero-ed in on the conversation at the other table.

_Who is this guy_, Caroline was prying sweetly.

_He's tall, dark and handsome_, my voice was saying. _Really smart and charming._

_So, you're not into Damon anymore_, Elena was asking.

I could practically hear Damon scowl from here.

"Haven't seen you out of the house much lately," Stefan said, eyeing the grimoire. "Always with your nose in a book."

"I'm _so_ sorry," I said, frowning in apology. "I haven't been a very good brother, and disappearing into the library probably isn't helping. I also thought you wanted more alone time with Elena, and I was trying to make myself scarce." I sighed. "I guess I got lost in my own problems for once. It won't happen again."

"No need for sarcasm, Damon."

"I was being sincere."

"Oh."

Awkward.

_What's so funny?_ I heard my voice loud and clear over the music and the chatter of the Grille.

_Uhh, you _hate _him_, Caroline reminded with a laugh. _Your change of heart is _hilarious.

_I just don't understand why you're suddenly into him_, Elena said more seriously, obviously confused by the situation.

_You said he was an, and I quote, 'evil, heartless bastard beyond redemption – not that he would seek it anywhere outside of a doppleganger's panties',_ Caroline quoted, turning to Elena: _Sorry, Elena, I was going for accuracy._

I could hear Elena grind her teeth and I wanted to laugh.

Then Damon shoot me a death glare from across the room and I did laugh.

Stefan irked an eyebrow at me, having followed my gaze. "Do you want to join them?"

"No," I said a bit too quickly. "Don't let my dreary presence ruin the party."

"Eavesdropping," he teased, "Is rude." Stefan smiled. A genuine smile. I was a bit speechless at the sight.

Then he glanced at the table of girls and got serious when his eyes fell on me again. "So, what exactly _is_ going on with you and Bonnie?"

"Nothing!" I said quickly, shaking my head. I cleared my throat and tried again, _more manly this time_, "Nothing." I leaned back in my chair, had a sip of the warm bourbon to my side and fell into a small coughing fit as Stefan look on, concerned – or amused, I couldn't really tell beyond the tears that welled up in my eyes.

"Why was she at the Boarding House last night," Stefan queried, "when she was meant to be at Elena's?"

"She just popped by for a visit," I shrugged.

"In her underwear?"

"You saw that?"

"Saw her leave in your shirt, too." He leaned forward on the table, peering at me with those steady eyes.

"I-I-I..." I stuttered, shaking my head to find the right words. _What would Damon do?_ "She came on to me!" I blurted out before I could think.

Across the room, Damon was spitting soda on the table at Elena and Caroline.

I narrowed my ears.

_What do you mean, I'm a _virgin? He gaped at them.

My own eyes widened, and I turned back to Stefan.

"Bonnie's not acting herself lately," I said quickly. "I didn't want to take advantage of her momentary, completely temporary slight lapse in judgment. She would never forgive herself if she jumped into bed with a disease-ridden, Confederate soldier, psychotic mass murderer like myself."

Stefan quirked an eyebrow up. "She's not the only one who is acting strange."

Uhhh... "Bitches," I offered, "Who can understand them?" He kept staring at me.

_I, Bonnie Bennett, am going to sex up Damon Salvatore,_ Damon said, standing up at the table. He punctuated his words with a finger hitting the desk. Such a Damon thing, I rolled my eyes – I would never do that. _If it's the last thing I do!_

"Can't live with them, can't live without them?" I tried half heartedly. Stefan's gaze didn't budge.

Caroline erupted into a burst of giggles. _You do what's good for you, Bon-Bon_, she said. _You accepted me as a vampire, so I will accept you as a Damon-lover_. She paused with a smile, _Though, let's face it, I'm the more generous one in this situation._

_You can't just sleep with Damon!_ Elena said, her voice rising.

I glanced at Stefan, sure he must have heard her. A muscle at his jaw ticked, but he said nothing.

_Why not_, Damon prodded across the room.

_He has a heart, you know!_ Elena said. _You can't just... use his body._

I could've heard Damon's smirk across the _state_ when he spoke again: _Oh, I intend to do a lot more than just _use _it. Try, worship it. Try, shower it with adulation._

Caroline was laughing harder now. _Bonnie, we get it. You like Damon. No need to push Elena's buttons. You know she is all mama-bear when it comes to him._

That seemed to calm him. _I don't get it, Elena,_ he said sweetly, _if you love Damon so much – why don't _you _sleep with him?_

"Maybe she's in heat from all that magic juju! Doesn't mean I'm going to sleep with her!" I continued my defence as Stefan's face darkened. His head was not in our conversation anymore.

_Is that what _this _is?_ Elena frowned, _Are you pretending to like Damon to get on my nerves?_

_Why would that get on your nerves?_ Caroline piped in, and Damon nodded in agreement.

_I love Stefan_, Elena insisted, her gaze slipping to ours in the corner. _I just worry about Damon. I don't want to see him get hurt._

_As if Bonnie would be the one _hurting _him! _Caroline said.

_What about _me? Damon asked softly. _Don't you worry about Damon hurting _me?

_Of course I do! _Elena said a bit too quickly.

"Sure you do," I muttered with a frown to myself. Stefan pinned me with a glare.

_I may not be..._ Damon hesitated, as if he wasn't sure he wanted the next words to come out. He shot me a glance, and his expression seemed to change when he saw my face. _I may not be madly _in love _with Damon. But I'm single. He's single. We're two consenting adults, and if you have a problem with us hooking up, you have to give me a better reason than you're afraid one of us will get hurt._

He was prodding at her with soft words. He was baiting her! He wanted her to say... 'because _I_ love him' or something equally romantic and tragic.

Oh, dear Lord, Damon was embarrassing himself.

_You're right_, Elena finally conceded. _Just be careful, Bon. There's enough crazy in Mystic Falls without a supernatural fall out of epic proportions._

Damon's expression set then – steely and determined. _Don't worry, Elena,_ he said sweetly, _even if my wildest dreams come true and Damon deigns to notice I exist... I won't be the one starting the drama._

_True_, Caroline laughed again. She seemed super amused by the situation. _I have a feeling everything will sort itself out._

I cleared my throat, more calmly this time: "No vamp in his right mind would sleep with her."

"Except," Stefan frowned, "When have you _ever_ been in your right mind?"

_Touche._

**BDBDBD**

_Enjoy the show?_ Damon sent me a text as soon as he left the Grille.

I didn't respond until I had my anger in check. He was _so_ transparent, it was ridiculous. It amazed me that my friends couldn't see through his act!

He was laying the foundations, I knew. Trying to set it up so that everyone would _expect_ me to jump into bed with him when the switch was over. So it would look strange if I _wasn't_ madly in love with him when I was back in his body.

Which meant I had to do the exact opposite – make it so difficult for anyone to believe Damon would be vaguely interested in doing anything but squashing me like a bug, so that he had no options and no opportunities to act on his threat... promise... threat... bet, whatever!

But I had to be careful, I realized as I walked into the Boarding House and found Elena sitting on the living room couch waiting for me. Because the risk of losing the bet was too great... free reign for Damon to pursue Elena.

I only had one option. I had to ruin his chances there, too.

"Damon," she said happily, springing up from her place on the couch.

"Elena," I said with a tight smile.

"I saw you at the Grill," she said.

"I would've said hi," I began without thinking.

"But Bonnie was there," Elena concluded with a frown.

"Uhh, right," I said, "She's developed this strange crush on me."

"I noticed," Elena said, "I wonder what's gotten into her?"

"I'm sure it's temporary," I said, "Don't worry, I won't take advantage of the situation – now or in the future."

"I know you wouldn't," Elena nodded solemnly.

"In fact, if I _ever_ make a move to do otherwise, _please_ drive a stake through my heart." I said. "And then light me on fire."

Elena laughed. "You don't have to be dramatic, Damon. I know you're not interested in Bonnie."

I paused. "What do you mean you _know_?"

"She's not really your type," Elena said with a shrug. "You two are always fighting."

"I like powerful women," I said, defensively.

"I thought you'd grown out of liking women who are cruel to you." Elena frowned.

_Like you aren't_, I wanted to snap back. "She's not cruel. She's clever and witty, and she calls it like she sees it. It's only cruel if it's unfairly mean or not true."

Elena quirked a brow, crossed her arms in front of her chest. "So you _do _like her."

"Elena," I said, walked to the bar and pouring myself a cup of bourbon I wouldn't drink to buy time, "My feelings towards Bonnie are... complicated." Understatement of the century.

"I mean, Bonnie is a wonderful, beautiful, kind-hearted person," I glanced at her, "Who I completely do not deserve. _But_ she is being completely ridiculous by thinking that something will happen between us." I nodded seriously, "_Ever_." I shuddered at the thought, "I'd rather be burned at the stake."

"Huh," Elena said. "So let me get this straight. You like Bonnie. But you think she's too good for you. So you won't reciprocate her feelings."

"Right," Damon said.

"That makes no logical sense," Elena said, hands on her hips. "That's never stopped you from your inappropriate feelings towards me."

Finally. She called him on it. GOOD JOB ELENA! Except... he's not in this body, so too little too late...

"You assume you're too good for me," I pointed out, not knowing what else to say.

"I'm not?" Elena looked taken aback.

"Well, I mean, I mean, I mean," I stumbled over the right words, "You're already dating a vampire. It's not like your standards are _that _high." I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth. "I didn't mean that like it sounded!"

"Stefan," Elena said, her voice steely again, "is _nothing_ like you."

"What?" I shook my head. "That's a bit ridiculous, don't you think?"

"You killed Bonnie's grandmother." Elena pointed out.

"Grams did that spell because you and Stefan asked too," I snapped, "You're just content to let Damm...mmeee... take all the blame!"

"We asked _for you_!" Elena said, frustration making tears well up in her eyes. She stomped her feet in typical angry-Elena fashion. She had been doing that since we were three.

"Right," Damon conceded, "But Bonnie's not _my_ friend. She didn't do it _for me_."

"Are you saying that I killed Grams?" Elena said, hands on her hips, staring me down.

"No," I said, grudgingly. I hated that they could bring up Grams' name so casually in conversation. "I'm just saying that... Stefan and I are not as different as you think."

"Different enough," Elena said softly.

"You're right," I said, guilt washing over me. Elena was still my best friend! I couldn't be mean to her, even if it was for the greater good – even if creating bad blood between them now would protect her from his advances later. "I know I was slow to come around, but, my point is... you and Stefan are great together. You deserve each other." She still looked pissed. "I mean that sincerely."

"Do you?" Elena frowned.

"I do. And you're a good friend to Bonnie to want to look out for her by questioning a psychopath like myself."

"You're not—"

"I am," I said, "But you don't have to worry. Like I said, I will never lay a _finger_ on Bonnie Bennett. We are as wrong for each other as you and Stefan are right. She will graduate school, go off to college, meet a like-minded warlock and fall in love and have boring babies and a boring life..." I trailed off. Wow, that did sound dull after a few weeks in Damon's body. "In any case, she can pursue me all she wants in the next few weeks – I won't give in."

"You won't?" Elena asked. "Because I'm worried about her. She's not acting herself. I don't want her to do something she'll regret."

"Don't worry," I said dismissively, "Bonnie's interest in me will fade very, very soon."

"Do you think she's alright?" Elena asked, her fingers twisting together in front of her.

"She will be," I promised.

"So," she let out a relieved breath, "Nothing will happen between you two?"

"Elena, for something to happen between us we'd have to stop fighting first." I rolled my eyes, "And knowing him-herrr... that won't happen anytime soon."

She opened her mouth to say something else, but the door opened and Stefan greeted his girlfriend. I gave them a nod and retired back into the library. Back into my fortress of history books and grimoires. Until I could get my hands back on my own spell book, I would have to peruse the Salvatore's grimoire collection for another spell. Another key to get back to my old life.

Because I didn't know how much more of this I could take.

Damon might be having fun destroying my life and having everyone (rightfully) question my sanity... but keeping his life together with a semblance of morality? So much more trouble than it was worth.

_Enjoy it while it lasts_, I finally texted him back.

_You enjoy it too. Lockwood. Party. Tonight. 7pm. Be there. Or be a naughty, naughty Bennett._

**BDBDBD**

_The Lockwood Party_

"You're giving me that look again," Damon said quietly, though when his gaze met mine it was anything but quiet or inconspicuous.

"What look?" I snapped.

"Like you want to eat me up." He popped some peanuts into his mouth without breaking our eye contact.

"This is your face," I reminded him, "So it would be your look of wanting to eat _me_ up."

"Right," Damon agreed, "That's how I recognize it."

"Damon," I warned. He left the house and walked out to the pool. He was wearing a strapless black maxi-dress, my hair twisted up in a low bun with a white flower pinned to the side. There was pink blush on my cheeks – which surprised me because I didn't own pink blush, and didn't think it would look as good on my brown skin as it did on my friends'. I was wrong. It made Damon look deceptively darling.

"You're staring again," Damon frowned. "I can't tell if you're checking me out, or yourself."

"Well, I'm not _you_," I said, making it clear that I had noticed how much he admired his own body.

"So, you're checking me out then," Damon smirked, "I know it's difficult to resist."

"You're enjoying this too much," I said. "What exactly is the purpose of convincing everyone that I'm in love with you?"

"No purpose," Damon shrugged. "It's just _too_ easy. Everyone wants to believe that you love me, Bonnie," he smiled, "I have met very little resistance to the concept." He walked around the pool backwards, his eyes locked on mine, "Whereas you have probably had multiple lectures by now from just about everyone who cares about Bonnie."

I frowned.

"Your friends care about you." Damon rolled his eyes. "If it wasn't so disgusting, it would be cute."

I opened my mouth to interrupt, but he continued talking right over me. I almost wanted to push him in the pool again.

"You know what the best part is?" He smiled wickedly. "You can't do a thing about it. If you make it seem like I would be remotely interested in you, it would just make it that much easier for me when we've switched back."

"It doesn't matter how easy I make it for you," I pointed out, "Because at the end of the day, it's never going to happen."

"Does it really matter if it actually happens," Damon said, "If everyone thinks it does?"

"Then your end game is to humiliate me," I said, "Rather than actually sleep with me."

"As if you'd be the one humiliated by such a rumour." Damon snapped.

"What are you getting at, vampire?" I growled, missing the familiar warmth in my hands when my powers were preparing to attack.

"I just want you to admit the truth!" He said at last, his eyes suddenly wide and then narrowing quickly with scrutiny. "Just _admit_ that perfect little Bonnie Bennett has feelings for a _psychotic_ vampire." He took a step forward this time, refusing to let me break the gaze. He lowered his voice, fingers playing softly over where his heart should be beating in his chest. "Just admit it, and we can move on, and get back to breaking the spell."

_That's what this was about? His wounded pride?_ I rolled my eyes. He frowned.

"Damon, you have to stop this," I said, grabbing his shoulder.

He shrugged me off. "Give me _one_ good reason why I should!"

"Give me one good reason why you shouldn't!"

He smirked, "It's fun."

"Oh, it's fun to confuse the hell out of all of our friends, to pretend that we want each other when neither of us do," he scowled at that, "to waste our time in each other's bodies when we could just switch back and end this charade?"

"First," Damon smirked calmly, "Let's not pretend that you don't want me. You're only resisting because you can't enjoy me in my own body the way you could in your own."

"Nice to know your delusions are still going strong."

"Second," Damon snapped the word out, "I would be happy to trigger the switch back when you figure out what it is... as soon as you admit the truth."

"What exactly do you expect me to admit?" I snapped, intending to continue with a cutting remark when he interrupted me.

"That, after spending several weeks in my shoes, you are overcome with the need to screw me." He smiled sweetly. Twirled a tendril of my hair in his fingers.

"That's your thing!" I realized suddenly with a cold laugh. "That's it, isn't it?"

"What?" he barked, dropping my hair.

"That's your rationalization of why Katherine and Elena and countless others never loved you," I faked a pout, "They didn't know the _real you_."

Damon's scowl only encouraged me more.

"Well, I _do_," I said, poking him in chest and watching him stumble back. "And I am not even _remotely_ interested."

Damon's face darkened even more. I once thought that scowl a very vampire thing, but apparently he could transfer the creepy to my face, too.

"We are going to switch back," I said, exhaling to calm myself. "We are going to switch back and pretend like the past few weeks never happened."

"Okay, _Glinda_," he sneered at me, "Whatever you say! You're such a judgmental bitch!"

"Well, you're a pompous jerk!" I yelled. I jabbed him in the shoulder again, and he snarled at me as he made a move to bite it off. I pulled my hand back, setting it on my hip and anchoring my stance. "Don't blame _me_ if you're a horny bastard."

"You wouldn't know an orgasm if it hit you in the face!" He took great delight in saying, "_literally!"_

"You're disgusting," I spat as I felt tears of frustration welling up in my eyes. I blinked them back, struggling to hold on to reason. This was too much. I couldn't figure out what he wanted from me, except to completely and utterly humiliate me in the present – _and _in the future when everyone would expect me to be fawning over him. "Maybe if you had _any_ sense of moral compass, we wouldn't be in this situation."

"Yeah, this is _my_ fault," He said, "_I'm_ the one with the crazy magic juju!"

"_Yeah_," I said, suddenly noticing Elena and Stefan staring at us. Caroline was sitting in another corner, he eyes glittering with amusement. "_You_ are."

"Yeah," He said speaking so quickly I wasn't sure if he heard me, "Well, you're the one with the boner!"

"Not _my_ fault!" I said, remembering the red lace panties he'd bought for me, and how they'd dampened with arousal. If I was being held responsible for _his god damn boner_, then he sure as hell was going to be held responsible for that. My eyes darkened. "Don't pretend I'm the only one."

"Yeah?" Damon said, jabbing me in my chest to punctuate each word. "Maybe I should go take care of that!"

"Really?" I challenged, remembering how he ran scared at the sight of Jeremy and Tyler weeks before and had to ask me for help. "And what exactly are you going to do about it?"

A smirk.

"This."

Damon kissed me.

He kissed me, and it was like the world had stopped. I felt like I was floating on another plane, not really connected to a physical body anymore at all. I closed my eyes, squeezed them shut, and kissed him back.

His lips angled against mine from above; I felt his breath fan against my cheek, his hands clutch the small of my back. He growled into the kiss, pulling me closer to him though I already felt like I was teetering on my tip toes. His arms were strong and hard around my body. The pounding my heart in my chest rushed over my senses as he slanted his mouth and tugged on my lower lip, requesting access.

I couldn't think over the flurry of sensations when I parted my lips and let him in. His hand grazed roughly over my jaw, closing over my chin to hold me in place. A sound escaped my lips then, lost between a whimper and a moan, and I felt his arms close more possessively over my form. He tugged at my bottom lip again with his own and I felt my thighs clench instinctively at the tingling sensations he inspired.

_OH my God_, I realized, my eyes snapped open. _I'm in my own body! I'm in my own body! We're back! We're back!_

And then, in a dizzy, heady moment as I broke the kiss and stepped back, it was over.

And I was in Damon's body again.

A hand flew to my head to steady my rushing senses.

"We switched back." Damon frowned. He had realized it as well.

"That was," I breathed incoherently, hand raising to touch the tingling of Damon's lips – his reaction to my kiss.

"Magical?" He offered.

"Yeah," I said, clenching my teeth to keep the vampire instincts clawing under my skin from taking over.

"Well," Damon smirked, full of arrogant self-assuredness, "I _am _a witch."


	9. Trigger Me This

**AN: Oh em gee I finally updated . I am the worst, and you are the BEST for sticking around **** THANK YOU for all of the favorites, follows and lovely reviews that followed the last chapter. I hope this story hasn't lost its spark, please stick with me and give me a second chance **

_**Trigger Me This**_

_Damon's POV_

Bonnie sat cross-legged opposite me, fidgeting in the outfit to which my body had grown accustomed: a plain black tee and a leather jacket over jeans.

"The party was the last straw," Bonnie had explained as we gave each other a once over. I was in a see-through black blouse with an electric blue bra and dark skinny jeans. Her voice dripped in familiar judgment: "Time to dress the part."

"Don't be jealous that I look better in your body than you do."

"I know there's a dirty joke in there," Bonnie sang out in warning. "Please do not finish that thought."

I gasped, feigning innocence before settling into a slouch and a smirk: "That would be too easy."

"Since when are you _not_ too easy," she muttered under her breath.

"I see your reputation has caught up with me," I grinned back at her.

"Bonnie Bennett would have to be easy to be making out with you," she reasoned.

"Definitely easy enough for round too," I generously offered.

"Let's just look at the spell," she said, rolling her eyes.

We set the grimoire on the table before us, cradled between a shared basket of fries and drinks – a cola and neat scotch – that we ordered and traded. She started flipping through the pages with deliberate determination.

She knew this book, I realized, like the back of her hand.

There are no indexes to search. Only about thirty percent were in English. The rest was written in code or Latin to keep humans from discovering the truth. Most made reference to items or ways of pronouncing words that would only make sense to those who knew the witch who wrote the spell. As she flipped through the pages, I thought of what Bonnie might write: _light a candle for each doppelganger_ or_ repeat for the number of lines in Stefan`s forehead_ or _use a box as filled as Caroline's head is with thoughts_.

She glanced at me quickly as she turned one page, and I was able to catch the tail end of it: _Damon`s surprise_.

"What was that?" I asked, unable to suppress a flattered grin.

"The aneurysm spell," she said without meeting my eyes. And she smirked.

"Charming," I deadpanned, keeping my eyes on the tricky witch looking deceptively dashing and upstanding behind my Adonis face. _Damn, I _was _fine_...

"Here it is," she said, turning the book so I could see it better. We both leaned forward over the page and our heads almost bumped together. I turned to make a snarky comment about her aim being off, our mouths being further south, but she was so focused on the spell that I was left dumbstruck.

_You can`t be struck dumb if you were dumb to begin with._

I shook my head to free myself of the thought. I`m already stuck in her body, it would be too unfair to be stuck with her voice in my head, too.

The word _switch _was scrawled across one edge of the page. Bonnie read, tracing the words with a finger – ugh, I hated that – and I decided to help her out by reading it aloud:

"A spell to cause two spirits to switch bodies... check," I said the last word like an accusation and was rewarded with an annoyed snarl. "Bound either by a time period proportionate to the burning out of a candle`s flame-"

"I didn`t light any candles."

"Or by a specified act known only in the heart of the spell caster."

Bonnie frowned. I rolled my eyes. "Who writes this stuff? The Joker?"

"My ancestors wrote this."Bonnie's grip tightened on the grimoire as she shot me a silencing glare. "Moving souls between bodies... there are many ways to do it. Complete blood transfusions. Spells that lock two souls in one form. Psychic trades, where witches exchange parts of themselves with each other to bind their powers..." she frowned. "This isn't a joke. This is serious. Hell," her voice had dimmed to an angry whisper. "This is my life."

"Yeah, well that is my body," I retorted, my brow furrowed and my eyes wide. I held out a hand between us and made the effort of adjusting my posture. "So what does it mean, genius?"

"I," Bonnie bit out the words: "don't know..."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "You cast a spell you didn't know how to reverse. Typical Bennett."

"Uhhh, excuse me," she said, waving a finger between us like she was pointing to the truth, "I've done _many_ spells for you that have worked out fine."

"True," I conceded, catching her eye and waiting a beat: "like the Gilbert device."

"Okay, you know what?" She said, moving to stand, "You want to stay stuck as me forever..."

"Alright, alright," I reached out and grabbed her wrist. "_Spellcaster`s heart_, etcetera, etcetera."

Bonnie stared at me blankly for a brief moment before taking her seat again. Staring at my face, I found it hard to recognize myself in my own features – the longer she stood, the more I just saw her: _Bonnie_. The virgin witch. She had schooled her features to be impassive – no telltale heart to let me know what she was feeling.

_How surreal_, I thought: _facing your worst enemy, and she's wearing your face. She's you._

"Well, I'm the spellcaster," Bonnie muttered, sliding back into the seat and deliberately shaking my hand free before taking a dainty sip of her cola from a pink curly straw. I grimaced and averted my eyes. The horror.

"So what was in your heart?" I asked, turning my eyes to meet hers again in that suave, devastating way I did. I gave a lazy smile and a knowing nod. "You were thinking about my body."

"Eww."

"You wanted it so bad you ended up inhabiting it."

"Right," Bonnie snorted.

"Hey," I shrugged, taking a sip of my own drink, "if it's good enough for Emily..."

"Possession!" Bonnie blurted out suddenly like she was playing bingo. She turned back to the pages before her. "This is a possession spell. Essentially, it's the same – it's just twice as bad because we've switched bodies rather than one possessing the other," she gave a thoughtful nod and paused to inhale some breath. "When did Emily leave my body?"

A slow smile spread across my face. "When I was having my way with your pretty little neck?"

Bonnie grimaced. "_No_." She paused, as if waiting for me to make a more reasonable guess. I liked my plan. I wasn't budging.

"When she did what she came to do," Bonnie said, "So it makes sense – spellcaster's heart – what she wanted to happen..."

"And?" I said, waiting for her to continue.

"Oh... dear."

"What?'

"I don't think..."

"Tell me."

Bonnie offered a weak smile and returned to her drink.

"It can't be that bad," I said, gesturing wildly.

"It's pretty bad."

"You can tell me."

"I'd... rather not."

I growled. Well, as much of a growl as can come from a little teenaged girl.

"Exactly why I won't," Bonnie concluded, crossing _my_ arms in front of _my_ chest and pouting.

"Fine," I rolled my eyes. "Let's just make out again."

"Maybe if _you_ undo the spell..." Bonnie twirled a finger in my brown hair as she thought. All she had to do was starting biting her lip or sticking her tongue out and I'd look like a bloody fool.

"I don't have magic," I reminded her snippily. "It comes and goes."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, dropping her hand. "Like your sanity."

"The only _magic_ I have," I offered with a winning smile, "is on second base."

Bonnie shot me a withering look that was particularly condescending from behind my blue eyes. "No."

I frowned. "What, stick to what works!"

"What will work," Bonnie said, emphasizing each word by jabbing my finger into the grimoire, "is figuring out the spell and..."

"Alright," I interrupted roughly. "You've figured it out. What is it?"

"It's... embarrassing."

"What is it!" I bit out, eyes wide and nostrils flared. I slammed my fist into the table for emphasis and we were both surprised when the tea candle's flame shot up momentarily.

"Alright!" Bonnie said, chewing my lip. "You have to..." mumblemumblemumble.

"What." I deadpanned.

"You have to," Bonnie forced herself to look me in the eyes. "_Understand_ me."

**DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB**

_Bonnie's POV_

I watched with nervous anticipation, having just admitted the unadmittable to my worst enemy. I wanted, pathetically, to be understood. I didn't exhale until I saw my face dropped with Damon`s disbelief.

"How desperate for friends were you, exactly?" he bit out, and the air filled with bitter tension.

"Look, it wasn't about _me_ to begin with..."

"What`s there to understand even?" My face contorted with his Damonesque expressions. "You're a witch. You cast spells."

I snorted. "You weren't supposed to switch with _me_..."

"I can`t believe I lost a good month`s worth of my life..."

"_You`re_ ancient!" I snapped, "What a month in a century? _I_ lost a good month`s worth of my life because you`re too dense to realize I`m not a walking spell book! I`m not Siri, I don`t just do what you tell me!"

"No," Damon replied through gritted teeth. He crossed his arms over his chest, making my breasts almost pop out of that electric blue bra. "If you were, I could just turn you off right now..."

"Believe me, I`m turned off."

A humorless laugh followed by an unblinking, angry stare.

"You`re a murderer," I said at last – forcefully, but simply. Because, when it came to Damon, you had to talk in small words and definites. "I wanted you to feel what your victims feel. You were supposed to switch with one of _them_. You were supposed to understand what it felt like to be the person you switched with. I didn't mean for that person to be _me_!" I scoffed, "You lost a measly month; your victims lose entire lifetimes!"

"So, you`re my victim now?" Damon snarled, punctuated his words with the sound of crashing glass on the floor. "You want me to understand how much I hurt your precious feelings?"

I could hear Matt's slow, concentrated wiping down of the bar behind me and knew his eyes were on us. The rattling of pool balls in the corner had also slowed down as people stopped to stare. A chair skid across the floor as someone turned to get a better view.

"You wanted to know how to fix it," I said, standing up to my full Salvatore height. My voice wavered, and I could sense all the eyes of the Grille`s patrons on us. The newest, loudest `couple` of Mystic Falls. "Now you know."

"So, what?" He grabbed my hand as I turned to leave. "I`m supposed to be friends with you? Share our deep dark secrets? Take you out for freaking ice cream?" He threw his hands up in frustration.

"You've known me for three years," I said, struggling to stay calm. "How hard is it to understand, even a little bit, of what it's like to be me?"

"How lonely can you be..." He spoke over me with an unfamiliar hardness in my face.

"Very," I said with gravity as I pulled my hand easily away from his. "But not lonely enough to want to be friends with you."

I turned on my heel to leave, but could still hear him calling after my back.

_Hey! Where are you going!_

I walked faster.

_Hey, I`m talking to you, Bennett!_

The whole Grille must think him – well, me – mad. I shook my head but didn`t look back.

_So what the hell was that kiss?_

I froze – momentarily – not enough for anyone to notice, as I slid into the driver`s seat of Damon`s car.

_What the hell was that kiss_, he asked. _Why did that kiss make us switch back?_

I could practically hear his smug, arrogant voice in my ears.

_Understood that pretty well, huh? I knew you wanted me._

"Leave me alone!" I cried out, but even that was drenched in his voice. I adjusted my mirrors and saw his face. I wanted to slam my fist into the dash, but stopped just in time as I realized that I was also cursed with his vampire`s strength. As a trio of kids crossed the street, their heartbeats pounded in my ears.

I was freaking drenched in Damon, and there was no escaping him. No matter how fast I drove or how far I went.

_I just want to go home_, I thought through watering eyes as I forced myself to drive to the Boarding House. _If only I could click my heels. If only I had magic. If only..._

"Woah!" a loud, booming voice snapped me out of my thoughts as I pulled into the drive way.

"Stefan," I said, blinking at my... brother of sorts.

"Damon," his brow furrowed.

_Which meant... nothing out of the ordinary_. Damon's voice.

"Shut up, damn you!"

Stefan frowned so his face matched. "Are you alright? You didn't even see me."

"I'll be fine," I said, my voice cracking. I didn't realize I was gripping the steering wheel so tightly until it crushed and bent under the force of my palms. I hurried out of the car and was by Stefan's side before I could think about it.

"Stefan," I whined, my voice droning out in a high-pitched sob.

He took a step back, eyed me suspiciously. "Something going on?"

"No," I said a bit too quickly, grabbing his arm, "I just..." _Am never going back... _"realized I'm stuck with you for the rest of my life."

His jaw ticked, like he was going to get angry or annoyed – but then his face fell, and the irritation was replaced with shock. Because I, Bonnie Bennett/Damon Salvatore, was crying.

Not just crying. Wailing. Eyes closed, mouth open, snot running down my nose, dry, heaving breaths – _crying_ out in the open. In the middle of the day.

_Mortifying_. _Bennetts don't cry in public. Never let them see you cry!_

But I couldn't stop. Once it started... the hopelessness! I was stuck in this damn body until Damon grew some semblance of a brain and understood whatever the hell he was supposed to... And let's face it, if it didn't have to do with Elena Gilbert, Damon would expend zero brain power on it. Not that he even had the brain cells to expend.

I felt Stefan's hand land and tighten on my shoulder. Brotherly support... I was so touched, I couldn't help crying a bit louder.

"Stefan," I pouted between sniffles.

"Did something happen to Elena?"

"No!" I squealed, shrugging his hand off of me. I turned daintily on my heel, pausing to flip my hair – oh, wait, I had no hair to flip – before striding into the house with my head held high and my sniffles kept to a minimum.

Stefan followed closely behind me, forgetting wherever it was he was planning to go.

I slouched on the chair. "This may be news to you," I said, jutting out my bottom lip, "But there's more to life than Petrova vagina!"

Stefan blinked. "There is?"

I frowned.

"_For you_, I mean," Stefan explained, eyes wide.

My jaw ticked.

"Joking, joking," He muttered. My lip trembled and I felt the tears start again. Stefan averting his eyes, "That's clearly not helping..."

"Stefan," I bawled again, rubbing frantically at my eyes. "What's wrong with me?"

"Well, your eyes are leaking," Stefan pointed out, shoving his hands in his pockets.

I stamped my foot on the ground. "Seriously! What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing's-" Stefan began sympathetically, possibly scanning his brain for any recent Elena rejections.

"I'm an arrogant, self-centred asshole who can't see past my own nose!" I said.

"Did Bonnie tell you that?" He quirked an amused brow.

"I obviously did not figure it out on my own. I've only been stuck with myself for... God, a hundred and forty-odd years? And I still don't even know _that_ about my own damn self..."

"Slow down," Stefan said, heading to the liquor cabinet. He started pouring me a drink. "So, you got into a fight with Bonnie?"

"You could say that," I muttered as he handed me the drink. I wrapped my hands around it and wished it was a fluffy, frothy mug of hot chocolate instead.

"What happened exactly?" Stefan's serious face.

I could feel my cheeks flooding with embarrassment again.

"Last I saw, you two were getting along quite well," He smiled.

I gagged.

"Please, have I not cried enough for one day?" I stuck my tongue out, trying to remove the ick that was Damon, and then remembered I _was_ Damon and the only way out of this ick was... "Why am I so pig-headed? I mean, really, you'd think if I walked a mile – or a thousand – in someone's shoes... lived a day – or a bloody month – in someone's life... I'd maybe understand, just a _little_ bit about what it means to be them..."

_What the hell was that kiss_?

I took a swig of my drink.

"You have a bit of a one track mind," Stefan said slowly and generously as I snorted loudly in response. "But you're more intuitive than you give yourself credit for."

"Am I?" I said hesitantly.

"You are when it comes to something you care about," Stefan said with a decisive nod. "You're very determined if it matters to you."

"Huh."

"Does that help?" He shifted awkwardly in his seat.

"That depends," I smirked, "How much does Damon Salvatore love Damon Salvatore?"

"Don't you mean how much does he... love... Bonnie Bennett?"

I rolled my eyes, "If that's where we start, might as well give up hope now."

I downed my drink as Stefan frowned.

"Do you think I'll ever snap out of it?" I asked. "Do you think I'll ever... _get_ Bonnie?"

Stefan smirked and I wanted to poke and pull at his cheeks until he was brooding again. "Bonnie thinks you don't understand her?"

"Bonnie _knows_," I deadpanned, "Trust me, if I understood her, _we_ would not be having this conversation."

"What exactly is it that she wants you to understand?"

"I..." I frowned. "I don't know."

"Did you even ask her?"

"She has... been asked," I stuttered.

"And?" Stefan frowned. "You do know people have minds of their own, right?"

"Bonnie just wants..." I shrugged, "To not be a victim."

"She's not-"

"She's no different," I said, leaning back in the chair. "From some poor co-ed I drain for fun. Neither has any say in what my whims are. Neither could ever really stop me. And," I raised my eyes to meet his, "Let's face it, neither really matters to me."

"That's not true," Stefan said.

"Even she can't tell the difference!" I almost laughed at the thought. And then my laughs turned to tears. "I'm losing my mind... No, wait, my _mind_ is all I have left..."

He sighed dramatically. "I don't know why you deny it..."

"What?"

"You and your off-and-on thing for Bonnie," Stefan said with accusation.

"What." Not impressed.

"You smacked your lips for weeks after you attacked her, like her blood was some kind of elixir..."

"EWW!" I squealed.

"What was it you called it?" He was enjoying this. "Ambrosia?"

"I did not!" I gaped.

"You even said I should have taken a bite when I had the chance..."

My expression twisted into utter disgust.

"But that if I, what was it?" He cleared his throat, "_Touched your little bird, you'd snap my neck_."

"Little bird?" I scoffed. "I-Bonnie's more like a mythic phoenix. A freaking fire breathing dragon!"

"You try to hide it, but we all see the way you look at each other." Stefan said smugly, "Like cats looking at a plate of milk."

_Like Stefan looking at a squirrel_.

Shut up, Damon!

"We hate each other," I said, but even I was starting to doubt it.

"Today," Stefan pointed out. "But yesterday, you were making out. And a year ago, you were twirling her around at the decade dance..."

"Alright, I get it," I muttered. "Not only am I a delusional narcissist, I also have the attention span of a three year old, the interpersonal skills of an eight year old who taunts the girl he likes, and the maturity of a twelve year old who just discovered his penis and can't decide which girl he wants to show it to first."

Stefan blinked. "And you say you're not intuitive."

I frowned. Hopeless.

Stefan shook his head, rubbed his arm. Waited. Neither of us spoke until, at long last, he turned to me with complete sincerity: "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"Yeah," I said.

"What?"

"Can I have a hug?"

"Sure thing, brother."

"This isn't weird, is it?"

Pause. "What's one hug in a _hundred and forty odd years_..."

"Then we better make it a good one."

**DBDBDBDBDB**

_Elena's POV_

"Tell me about myself," Bonnie demanded as she slid unhappily into the seat across from me at our favorite cafe.

She looked particularly unhappy in her buttoned up grey cardigan that say comfortable over a pale blue blouse with a high collar. She wore an old pair of jeans over pointy-toe flats, and her hair hung in waves in two ponytails. She slouched over, cradling her face in her chin. When she smiled, it was a half-hearted shift of lip that really meant, _well get on with it..._

"Huh?" I blinked at my best friend. "You want me to..."

"We've known each other all our lives, right?" Bonnie snapped impatiently. She clicked her teeth against her tongue. Then her eyes were narrowing on mine in a way that made me feel like I was in grade school and had been asked to answer a question I didn't know the answer to in front of the whole class... "Well?"

"Yeah, of course," I hurriedly supplied. I cradled my latte between my palms to buy some time.

"We're _best_ friends, right?" If it was possible, her eyes narrowed even further before expanding again.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Elena," she said testily as her eyes rolled to the ceiling. "Just answer the question."

"Of course we're best friends," I extended my hand across the table to grasp hers. She withdrew it quickly, shoving her hands into the warm pockets of her cardigan.

"Then help me out. Tell me about myself."

"Uhh, okay, I'll play along..." I said, watching her carefully as she appeared to hang on my every word. Was this a test? Whatever it was, she wasn't changing her mind any time soon... "You're Bonnie Bennett. You have no siblings. You were raised by your dad after your mom left..."

"Tell me something I don't know," she rolled her eyes.

I let my expression betray my confusion, but continued on: "You're scared of heights. You're fluent in French. Tyler was your first kiss in the third grade," I smiled at the memory: "You cried for two days after he kissed you in the gym."

Bonnie smiled. "I'd cry too if Tyler kissed me. _Again_, I'd cry _again_."

I smiled back, pausing to sip my coffee. "He's not that bad. Remember when we went swimming at his house the first time? You jumped off the diving board and lost your bikini top?"

Bonnie coloured visibly, her eyes widening in embarrassment.

I couldn't help but giggle, "And Tyler held up a towel to block everyone from seeing as you got out of the pool and fixed it."

"No wonder I hate bikinis," Bonnie muttered.

I laughed. "Hmm, what else do I know about Bonnie Bennett? Oh, she doesn't know how to ride a bike."

Bonnie snorted. "A useless skill, anyway."

"It's funny, I don't think Damon can either... You're the only two I know."

"Overrated."

"Damon or the bike?"

Bonnie frowned. "The bike."

I laughed at her troubled expression. "Hey, do you remember the first time you met him?"

Bonnie blinked.

"I mean, you thought Stefan had a hot back..."

"I did not!" Bonnie gaped at me, as if she had forgotten the incident entirely.

"You did!" I paused. "That's probably why the whole Bonnie-has-a-crush-on-Stefan bit was so believable..."

"I have truly tragic taste in men."

"Hey," I said, "That's my boyfriend, and you dated my brother."

"Sorry, you know what I meant," she said, but her expression read: _I rest my case._

"_Anyway_," I continued, "You thought he was so hot and mysterious..."

"I did?!"

"_Yes_," I grinned as she smirked. "You don't remember? You asked me about him – if he was single, how old he was..."

"No way."

"Between you and Caroline..."

"Caroline's no competition."

Pause.

"I mean, _now_... because she's with Tyler."

"And for other reasons," I said, but decided to let it go. "Anyway, we thought what fun it would be! Dating two brothers. We would've been like, real sisters."

"So how bad did I want him?"

Uhhh... I lowered my voice. "Well, you did have that dream about him..."

Bonnie's sudden laughter was loud enough to startle the barista fifteen feet away – a weird, victorious, gloating laugh. But as it continued, it became light hearted and amused, the kind of laughter you get stitches from. Her laughter had always been contagious, and soon I was giggling too.

"Your turn," I smiled happily, "Favorite memories?"

"This isn't about you," Bonnie sobered up quickly, emphasizing the words with a strange rhythm. "This is about me. I need to understand my...self."

I shook my head. "Bonnie, what's going on? I'm so confused."

"Just tell me more about myself!"

"What is this?" I snapped. "You're not usually this angry or... pushy!"

Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"Is this about what happened yesterday? You and Damon..."

"I'm not here to talk about Damon. Damon, I know. Damon, I get." She gestured wildly.

"You never updated me about what was going on between you two."

Bonnie let out a loud sigh, leaning back in her chair. Her voice dripped with accusation: "This is obviously going to take awhile. Buy me a coffee."

"You want me to..."

"Please."

"...buy you a coffee?"

"I've saved your life _how many times?_" Bonnie said, her upper lip curling. "And you can't buy me a freaking coffee?"

I gaped at her, raising a hand to catch the waitress' attention without losing sight of her. I quickly ordered a green tea latte and waited until it was in front of her before speaking softly.

_I've saved your life_, she had said. So that's what this was about.

"So... you've heard."

When she didn't say anything, just levelled those serious, _knowing_, green eyes at me, the guilt was overwhelming.

"I didn't know anyone knew, no one was supposed to know," I chewed my lip without thinking. I lowered my voice to a whisper: "I haven't even told Stefan."

Bonnie quirked a brow, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "What exactly do I know, Elena?"

"You're going to make me say it...?"

Bonnie waited.

"He's back," I admitted at last. "Klaus is back, and he wants to kill me."

"What?" she growled, slamming her fist against the table. The latte jumped in her mug, froth spilling onto the table.

"He's back," I repeated. "But I've found a way to kill him."

"What?"

"A spell. And... you can do it, or we can find a way... I don't know, but we can do this, Bonnie. _You_ can do this! We can kill Klaus!"

Pause.

"Wh..at...?"


	10. Kill the Klaus

**AN: I am the worst. Next chapter is Bonnie's POV.**

**Kill the Klaus**

_Damon's POV_

_Don't tell Damon._

My mind raced as I rushed to Bonnie's house, replaying the last moments of my date with Elena.

_It's Esther's spell_, Elena had said. She had reached into her pocket and pulled out a notebook paper on which she had scribbled it. _From Elijah._

Klaus wouldn't come back. He was off making hybrids and wolfing out and frolicking with fairies or some shit (that's what he and Stefan do, right? In between the Ripper bits, I mean).

But sure enough, there he was, sitting on her front porch when I arrived.

Klaus.

I snarled.

"Bonnie Bennett," the Original said her name like she should be grateful he knew it.

I crossed my arms, jut out my hit, and gave him the most withering glance I could conjure.

_Too bad I didn't have my magic now_.

But Klaus didn't know that, I realized, as he made no move to approach me.

He raised a brow, as if inviting me on to my own damn porch.

I responded by stomping up the Bennett porch and shoved him with my shoulder.

Well, I _tried _to shove him with Bonnie's puny shoulder, and got knocked back instead. _Shit_, that was going to bruise. But I would not give him the satisfaction of seeing me in pain.

But I must have winced because he smirked in condescending amusement.

"You got something to say, prick?" I barked, giving in to the dull sensation to rub my shoulders.

He blinked at me.

"Did I stutter, you decrepit corpse?" I said, hands on hips as I glared at him.

He almost choked on his spit. I smirked in victory. "I'd watch your tongue if I were you, Miss Bennett."

I rolled my eyes before turning back to my door. "You wouldn't dare hurt me," I said dismissively.

"Do not presume to tell me what I would do," he said, putting his hand on Bonnie's shoulder. I grit her teeth to keep from flinching, though I stiffened under his hold.

He spun me around, pinning me against the door. I felt my lips curl in disgust as he tried to read me with those twinkling, periwinkle blue eyes.

_Periwinkle blue_? _Really, Bennett?_

"Don't touch me," I said calmly, keeping a weak grip on my impulsive behavior. A snapped neck in this body is not quite the same in the other. "Or I won't help you."

He frowned. "What makes you think I need your help?"

"Why else seek me out?" I returned quickly.

And in the split second before he relaxed his grip, I wondered if Klaus had another, more clandestine reason, for showing up at Bonnie's house. I felt my face rush with anger, and was about to snap at him, when suddenly, he dropped his hands.

"You happen to be correct," he grudgingly admitted.

I crossed my arms again smugly. "And why would I help a jack ass like you?"

"Miss Bennett, have I done something to upset you?"

"Other than trying to kill my best friend?"

"Your best friend?" His eyes colored with amusement, and a chuckle escaped his lips. "Surely, you can't mean the Gilbert girl?"

"Of course I mean Elena."

"Let me get this straight," Klaus said, resting his hand on the wall beside my head. He leaned forward as he spoke, "The girl who would let you die to save herself… is your best friend?"

"Yes," I snapped.

"The girl who let Damon dispose of your body after you pretended to die attacking me… instead of giving you a proper burial?" My cheeks heated up, "Instead of giving your family some relief?"

I frowned. "Yes?"

He reached out to rub the side of my chin with the back of his hand. I flinched, but he continued.

"Miss Bennett, you should know that I have a fondness for witches."

"How very Oedipal of you."

"And," he continued as if I hadn't spoken, "I treat mine very, _very_ well."

I sneered. "I'm ok, thanks."

"Being at the beck and call of the Salvatores?" he said, brows raised again with fake sincerity. "Doing parlor tricks and making day walking rings for baby vampires? When you could be so much," he took a deep breath here, let his eyes linger on Bonnie's face, "more?"

I almost threw up in my mouth.

"Are you flirting with me?"

Klaus blinked in surprise, but that smile was back on his lips. A cold chill ran down my spine. I saw what happened next like it was happening in slow motion.

"Now, now, Miss Bennett," He tilted his face, "You are a lot more… forward," he lowered his voice, "Than I recall."

I tried to pull away from his reach, but his hand reached out to still me, and my head hit the door behind me with a bang.

"Whatever has gotten in to you?" He asked.

And before I could say _Damon Salvatore, you twat_ – he kissed me.

He kissed _Bonnie_. My Bonnie.

_Alright, let's kill this fucker._

**BD**

_Caroline's POV_

Damon Salvatore was in my house. Drinking a cup of tea. With my mom. Discussing the carnations.

I crossed my arms, standing in the doorway, and observing them for a full thirty seconds, before either acknowledged my presence.

"I had no idea," Mom was saying, "You knew so much about gardening."

Damon offered her a tight smile before, finally, turning to catch my eye. I snapped my gaping mouth shut and glared at him.

"Damon." My voice was sickeningly and insincerely sweet, even to me.

"Caroline," he said, his brows knitting together, his face awash with relief. "I can't even describe how good it is to see you."

My jaw dropped again. Mom cleared her throat and left the room, pausing to pat my shoulder and shoot me a _be careful_ look.

"What do you want?" I hardened my stance and straightened my shoulders as I eyed him from across the room. He moved to come forward, and I forced myself to stand my ground.

His face fell. He averted his eyes. He took a deep breath. Looked at me again. "I just wanted to talk, Care-bear!"

"SCREW YOU, PSYCHO!" I screeched. "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

"You said," he sniffled – actually – "You'd be there for me no matter what."

"When the hell did I say that?!"

"In fifth grade," he insisted.

Then he stood, and approached me with his hands out, like he was approaching a wild animal.

"Come on, Care. You know me. I'm not who you think I am. _Think about it._"

"What?" I was thoroughly confused. And then I realized, I had broken a wooden spoon, and held it in front of me like a stake.

"It's me, Care," he said again, his voice soft and low.

"Damon, what the f—"

"It's Bonnie."

Realization hit me like a ton of bricks.

I cocked my hip to the side.

I dropped the stake.

"Was this before or after," I pursed my lips, "I helped you put that tampon in?"

"I'm sorry. You did what now?"

**BD**

_Damon's POV_

Thank the gods Bonnie is a lightweight. There's not enough alcohol in her father's living room cabinet to get the real Damon drunk. But it was enough to keep Bonnie nice and buzzed all night.

The first drink was to sterilize my mouth. The second was to calm my nerves. The third through sixth, to work up the courage to dial the number I had been staring at on my cell phone. Could I do it? Could I call her, and tell her…? Shouldn't I tell her – that they wanted her to risk her life?

Or, rather, her body?

To save Elena from a boogeyman who seemed more interested in excavating Bonnie's mouth?

Gag.

But all I could see was the coldness in her eyes. The fear, greater than fear.

When she realized she would have to spend the rest of eternity as me, in me, behind my face, my little bird would be afraid. So afraid, so _disgusted_, she would rather die.

The thought it was enough to make anyone drink.

Then I remembered – I'm Bonnie, not Damon. And Bonnie has friends. Friends who would come over and comfort her. Friends who would be dying to know about the Original who just molested her. Friends who would ask her – are you alright?

_You have reached the phone of Elena Gilbert_.

What. The. Hell.

_Please leave a message after the tone._

I dialed again. Same message. One more time, and it went to voicemail after one ring.

Rejecting my call?! Bitch.

Jeremy, Matt and Tyler were all EXTREMELY out of the question. I had had enough man-on-mantrappedinsidewoman for one evening.

I dialed Caroline.

_Hi, it's Caroline!_ Her chipper voice sang out: _You know what to do_.

Beep.

Beeping beep indeed.

I threw my phone across the room with a growl.

_No one loves you. _

_You're alone._

_They've asked you to die for them, and they don't even care to answer their damn phones._

All of a sudden, I didn't really feel like Bonnie anymore.

I felt a lot like Damon.

_No one loves you_ – Bonnie's voice rang out in my head. _No one even likes you_.

_Shut up! _I yelled at myself. I forced myself to stand, and trudged to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face.

_Well,_ Bonnie's voice snickered, _except for _Klaus…

I turned on the tap, and put my hands under.

_Though, even he probably likes Stefan better._

_Shut. Up._

Her girlish, wicked snicker.

I splashed the water on my face.

_At least you love yourself, narcissist, _she sang out.

_Yeah, I do_. I said defiantly, though my world still spun and my chest felt heavy. My saliva was cool in my mouth. _I do love myself._

_No kidding._

"I love me," I muttered, "And I'm all that matters."

Her voice was silent.

I glanced up, and was stunned to see her reflection staring back at me. Bare faced and vulnerable.

I couldn't help it.

No one would ever know.

"I love you," I said, staring into the mirror. "_I_ love you, Damon Salvatore."

How truly fucking pathetic that those words, coming out in her voice, staring into her face, made everything seem not as hopeless as it had before.

And suddenly, it all made sense.

**BD**

_Bonnie's POV_

Six billion, five million and eighty-five thousand, nine-hundred and twenty two sheep.

Being a vampire sucked.

I'd been awake for hours, Damon's veins crying out for blood, all night. Tossing and turning and tossing.

Elena and Stefan had very loudly reunited – again, and again – all night. No concern for Damon's feelings anymore, it seemed. That should be a good thing. Mission accomplished, right? So why did I feel so… alone.

Being in Damon's bed, in Damon's body, I felt more alone than ever. Though the self-centered bastard was the last person I wanted to see, I couldn't help but check the phone on the nightstand – for the _n_th time – for messages.

After my heart to heart with Caroline – who I apologized to, profusely, for putting her in that awkward position – I had been feeling a bit more optimistic about the whole situation. Caroline had a way of doing that. Making everything sound bubbly and possible and pink.

I had gone to bed with hope. Hope that Damon would call. Hope that he would come to his senses and realize there was only one way out of this.

_We were going to be besties. _

We were going to paint each other's nails. We were going to share secrets. We were going to binge eat raw cookie dough while our face masks dried and watch crappy shows on the CW.

It was going to be epic.

And then we'd wake up, and we'd be us again. Bonnie and Damon. In the bodies in which we belonged.

_And then we'd make out_.

Ugh, one would think having Damon's snarky voice in my head would be enough to make me never want to see him again.

_And yet, you just miss me more._

Sigh. He wasn't wrong.

But could I really be blamed for that? Damon was the only one who, in weeks, had treated me like me. Like who I really was inside. Like Bonnie.

Well, Damon and now Caroline. Caroline who I had sworn to secrecy. Because, though she found the entire thing amusing, I knew that Elena wouldn't. And I didn't have the energy to deal with that fall out right now. Not when I had this mess to sort out.

Not when a certain vampire brat was not calling me.

I was up until six in the morning when I heard a phone buzz with a text like it was a jackhammer. I jumped out of the bed, and reached over for mine, only to realize the sound was coming from Stefan's room.

_It's Bonnie_, I heard him tell Elena in a hurried whisper after he hung up. _She needs help_.

I waited – with severely tested patience – until Stefan left before making my way to his room.

Elena say on the bed, her face twisted with concern, as she scrolled through her phone.

"Three missed calls from Bonnie," she said, chewing her bottom lip. "I didn't realize it was that important."

I barely stopped myself from rolling my eyes. "I'm sure it's fine," I said.

Elena's eyes shot to mine, and her hand moved to close her robe. "Damon," she cleared her throat, as if she hadn't known I was there. Her eyes shifted around the room. She crossed her legs. "Stefan will be back any minute."

"I'm not going to ravish you!" My eyes must have bugged out because she was quickly apologizing.

"Sorry, I just…" She shook her head. "Bonnie's in trouble. I'm just a bit worried."

"Like I said," I muttered, "I'm sure she's fine."

_For a guy who claims to be irritated by his brother's very brow-furrowing, Damon sure is dependent on him. Can he not do anything for himse_-

"Klaus is back." Elena's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"What."

"Klaus is back," she repeated, her mouth dropping into that concerned "O" that made me want to stuff an apple in it, as her hand flew up as if to keep the words from escaping. "What if he got to her?"

"What if he WHAT?!" I screeched. I threw my hands in the air. "When were you going to tell me?"

"Bonnie asked me not to," Elena said, squaring her shoulders. The good friend.

"Then why," I snarled, "Did you?"

"I'm worried about her!"

"Ugh!" I said, moving to flip my hair haughtily and realizing that it was short. Foiled by Damon again! I turned on my heel and moved to leave the house.

"You can't go," Elena said, "Just wait for Stefan to come back."

I turned to her with an _areyouseriouswoman?!_ face, but the sadness and the fear on her face stopped me in my tracks. _It's Damon and Stefan_, I reminded myself as I walked towards her on the bed.

_Now Damon has to switch us back_, I thought resolutely as I took a seat beside her.

_Damon can't kill Klaus, and he can't defend himself_, I affirmed as she lay her head on my shoulder and settled in to wait.

_This is it,_ I realized with an eerie calm. _It's over._

**BD**

_Stefan's POV_

"Your boyfriend stuck his tongue down my throat!" Bonnie yelled drunkenly at seven in the morning as she swung the door open to greet me. Or rather, _Damon_ yelled, from Bonnie's body.

"Well, if I hadn't figured the switch out by now," I said, rocking back on my heels.

He narrowed Bonnie's green eyes at me. "You didn't figure it out," he enunciated the words in that are-you-really-this-stupid way he had, "I _told_ you."

Yes, I know you told me, Damon. I was there when it happened.

"I had an inkling," I said instead.

"Well, come in," he said, turning around and heading back into the Bennett house. I hesitated for a moment, and was surprised when I could cross the barrier. I glanced around, noting how humble Bonnie's home was. Not like Sheila's was growing up – filled with pronouncements of her identity all over the place. Bonnie had always been a quiet, unassuming witch.

Which is why it was so surprising that Klaus had sought her out.

"He's up to something," Damon snarled, as if he was reading my mind. He plopped on to the couch, and I cleared my throat loudly, and averted my eyes, at his spread legs. In a short yellow skirt, I could see Bonnie's pink thong, and that was just… _weird _on so many levels.

He snapped his legs shut and tugged his skirt down. "No wonder Klaus likes you. _Pervert._"

"Why would he kiss Bonnie?" I frowned, genuinely baffled. Klaus never acted without motive.

"Have you seen Bonnie?" Damon returned. "Especially with me in her, she is smoking hot."

_With me in her_. I tried not to cringe at the entendre Damon not-so-subtly wanted me to pick up on.

"Thanks to you, all of Mystic Falls has seen her," I said pointedly. Damon smiled with smug satisfaction for a split second before cutting his eyes at me in that familiar jealous way.

"I just mean, why come back just for that?"

Damon shot me that are-you-an-idiot look.

"She's not that hot."

He scoffed, obviously appalled by the suggestion. "I did not bring you here to insult us."

"You're an _us_ now?"

"_We_," he sputtered, "are a team. And Team Bonnie says what the hell do we do, Stefan?"

"About Klaus?"

"No," his face twisted, "I already know how to handle that."

"About the switch, then?" I asked. "From what you mentioned on the phone, seems easy enough to switch back. You need to spend more ti-"

"I mean," Damon interrupted, "How are we going to keep Bonnie from knowing?"

"From knowing what?" I frowned, "That Klaus is back?"

"That I'm going to kill him," Damon spelled it out.

"You have a white oak stake?"

"No."

"You can access Bonnie's magic?!"

"Uhh, no."

"Then how do you plan on killing an Original hybrid, brother dear?"

"Alright, I'm not going to _kill_ him, if you must be so," Damon sneered, "Accurate."

"Why can't we just-"

"I'm going to face him," Damon said. "And I'm going to die."


	11. Stage Six

**AN: OMG the Bamon feels.**

**Stage Six**

_Bonnie's POV_

"I'm sorry," Stefan said softly.

His brow was knit together, his eyes were serious, his lips a grim line.

_I'm sorry_, he said when he cornered me in the kitchen trying not to be disgusted at Damon's body's reaction to the blood bag I was mixing with my coffee. After Elena worried herself to tears, and cried herself to sleep on my shoulder, I spent the rest of the night trying to reach Damon. Stefan hadn't returned home, or so I thought, so I was surprised to see him.

Surprised enough that he caught me off guard, and with an echoing _crack_, pushed me into darkness.

I woke with a start in the cellar of the Boarding House, a place I vaguely remembered existed, with a very painful crick in my neck. My cheek was still cold – even for a vampire – where it had been resting on the cold stone ground.

I rose to my full height, brushing my hands on my grey sweat pants and adjusting my plain white tee shirt. I ran a hand through my hair and assessed my surroundings.

One wooden bench.

One bag of blood.

This, I thought, is where Luka died.

I swallowed slowly and instinctively flexed my fingers into fists.

I turned to the door and there he was: my captor, peering at me through a small, square window lined with metal bars.

"Stefan."

"Bonnie," he said, like he was calling my name. I glanced up, my eyes questioning, my breath catching. But he averted his eyes and amended, "Bonnie is going to stop Klaus."

"Elena filled me in," I said, not intending it to sound as sketchy as it did in Damon's voice. I braced myself, but Stefan didn't react.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you stop her." Stefan said.

I scoffed. "Since when does Damon Salvatore stop Bonnie Bennett from doing anything that is in his interest?"

"Well, you two have been awfully close lately," Stefan said.

I averted my eyes. I paced. "Stefan," I tried to reason with the vampire, "I will not even go _near _Bonnie. I don't care what she does!"

"You care," Stefan said simply.

"I just said I didn't!" I snapped, whirling around to face his eyes that seemed to twinkle despite his grim expression.

"Alright," Stefan said. Disbelievingly.

I narrowed my eyes at him, and approached the window in the door suspiciously. "What are you talking about?"

Stefan said nothing, so I repeat myself in my best _Damon Salvatore is a BAMF_ voice.

I wiggled my eyes.

Stefan smiled in response but said nothing. He rocked back on his heels.

"I am sorry, you know," he said again.

"You keep saying that!" I growled, wrapping my hands around the skimpy bars of the window that separated us. I frowned. Took a step back. "I didn't sleep with Elena, if that's what you're worried about."

He laughed out loud.

I scoffed. "Hey, it's not that unimaginable."

He turned, as if to go, and I yelled out at him to stop him.

"Stefan, come on," I said.

"You'll try to stop her," he said with a shrug.

"I told you," I rolled my eyes before meeting his with gravity, "I don't care about Bonnie Bennett."

"So you say, _brother_," Stefan shook his head, "But your actions tell another story."

"Did I not turn her mother into a vampire?"

"Did you not just make out with her in front of half of Mystic Falls?"

"Okay," my voice was shrill, "You can _not_ hold that against me!"

"I'm just saying," Stefan interrupted me. He met my eyes with meaning. "You care more about her than you let people know."

I opened my mouth to respond, but something in his eyes stopped me.

_Fuuuudgeeee_.

"You know, don't you?" I said softly. I let my hands fall from the bars. I sighed.

"That you're in love with my brother?" Stefan said. And before I could point out that Damon's narcissism was so well known it was practically an infamous entity unto itself, he concluded: "Bon."

Now my brows knit together. "Stefan," I whined, "Why are you doing this? You _know_."

"I do."

"When did you figure it out?"

Deer caught in the headlights look.

I tilted my head in consideration.

"That's not important," he recovered smoothly. "But you could've let me in on the secret."

I was struck suddenly with the memory of faking my death at the decade dance. Another secret Damon and I kept from everyone else, another plan that was just between us.

"Does Elena know?"

"No," he said quickly, "And she won't know, until this is over."

"Stefan, Damon can't use my magic," I said seriously. "We have to switch back. He'll be looking for me!"

"Damon's not looking for you," Stefan said with finality.

"He must be," I said, desperate. Panic rose in my chest, bile in my throat. Was this the end of The Vamp Crusader?

"He's not."

**BD**

_Damon's POV_

Elena and I were strategizing.

Or, rather, she was practicing her vacant stare while twirling hair around her fingers, possibly day dreaming of a world without Klaus when she should really be thinking about a world without Bonnie. Or, rather, a world without me.

_She wouldn't be so quick to send me to battle if she knew_, I tried to convince myself. But

Was I really afraid of facing Klaus, because he could kill me? Or because he may molest me again?

Seriously, I was rethinking this whole grab-a-girl-and-kiss-her bit. It wasn't nearly as seductive as I used to think. In fact, my lips were curling at the memory of Klaus' hard, chapped lips and rough skin against Bonnie's smooth, immaculate mouth. On second thought, I was a much better kisser than Klaus, so maybe that's what I had no complaints.

_Or maybe it was the compulsion._

Shut it, Bennett!

"Just imagine," Elena said, snapping my attention up from the grimoire in front of me. "A world without Klaus."

"Don't get your hopes up," I muttered, restraining myself from rolling my eyes in a very un-Bonnie-like fashion. For this to work, Elena could not find out about the switch. She'd never forgive me. Worse, she'd try to stop me.

And then she'd wait until we switched back, and get Bonnie to do it.

Which no longer worked for me.

"Spells don't always work how you want them to," I clarified when she looked at me quizzically.

"Bonnie, I really appreciate you doing this for me," Elena's smile was small and fragile.

"I'm not doing it for you," I couldn't stop myself. "I'm doing it forrrrr…." Ugh. "Damon."

_Bonnie. The Bonnie-Damon amalgamation. The Bennett-Salvatore monster. My little bird._

Elena blinked. "Damon?"

"Yea…uh." I said. Convincingly. Really.

"What does Klaus have on Damon?" Elena's confused face.

"Uhhh," my mind raced. Seriously, was Klaus the only person in Mystic Falls I had yet to do something fucked up to? "I slept with his sister."

"You—what?" Elena stuttered.

"DAMON!" I yelled, causing a few patrons to glance over at our table. I stuffed a fry in my mouth. "_Damon_ slept with Rebekah."

"Klaus wouldn't kill him over that," Elena said dismissively.

"Well, still," I said. She looked at me expectantly.

_Go big or go home._

"I want to impress him by killing the biggest bad guy in town," I said, "You know, after him. Because he's pretty bad ass and evil too, you know. Pshhh, Klaus has nothing on him." She kept staring at me. "He gets off on me killing things."

"You want to impress Damon?"

"Yeah," I said, "Why not?"

Elena regarded me for a long moment. I held my ground.

"You are one complicated woman, Bonnie Bennett."

You have no idea.

**BD**

_Bonnie's POV_

Even Damon's body could only take so much.

After a day by myself spent trying to access my magic, break the spell, scream so Elena heard me, master the clawing desperation at my throat, or pummel that door down… familiar footsteps came down the hallway. I had heard him when Stefan let him in.

They sat in the living room discussing their "plain".

Damon was going to "use" Esther's spell on Klaus. When it didn't work, Klaus would kill Damon. In my body. And trap me forever in his.

Stefan was, surprisingly, quick to agree.

They kept it brief. There was a lull in the conversation where they may have hugged goodbye.

I remembered, suddenly, the image of Damon raising a finger to his lips and mouthing for me to shhhh because _vampires are everywhere_. I pushed out my bottom lip in annoyance when I realized he was deliberately keeping it hush hush.

He knew I was listening.

He knew what Stefan had done.

I thought he would even leave, without me… but then came the footsteps.

I rushed to the window to see him. Damon, with his familiar swagger, coming to visit me in jeans and purple sneakers. He had pulled my hair up into a tight ponytail. I wasn't wearing make up. He looked tired, and serious.

"Damon," I said, his voice raspy with my desperation.

"What's up, little bird?" He forced a smile.

_Denial._

"I know what you're planning," I said smoothly, "And you don't have to do this."

He came closer. My body wasn't wearing any make up. Which, darn it, meant he was serious.

"I don't have to," he agreed, "But I will."

"We can still beat this!" I raised my arms at him. Separated from my body by a wooden door with a little, barred window at the top. Separated from my body by our souls.

"It's over, Bon," Damon said. With him behind my eyes, they appeared so much more serious, more determined than I had ever seen him.

_So that's what I looked like_, I realized, watching the set of my mouth and unblinking eyes, _when I marched to my death._

"We have like," I tapped my foot impatiently, "What, three hours until you're meeting Klaus?"

"Thirty minutes," Damon corrected quietly. I almost didn't hear him.

"What?" I gaped. "I thought you were going to wait until he approached you again."

Damon grinned with wicked satisfaction. "I see vampire hearing has aided you well."

I frowned. "I wouldn't have to eavesdrop if you would keep me in the loop!"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Witches without their powers get left out of the important conversations."

"You don't have any powers," I reminded him.

"Elena doesn't know that," he replied.

"I'll tell her," I said with determination. "Then she'll make you stay here and switch us back!"

"We can't switch back," he said. Again: "It's over. The jig's up. We did our best, but let's face it, you are one unfathomable enigma."

"Or you're just too thick-headed to get it!" I practically screamed at him. "Just… _understand me!_"

"Just," he mimicked me, "don't be so damn undecipherable!"

"You're ridiculous. This isn't going to work. Klaus won't kill me." I paced. I felt his eyes on me. I returned to the window. "You told Stefan he needs my help, so he won't kill me."

"He's," Damon shrugged, "going to kill you. Or, rather, me. Us?"

My eyes stung with frustration. "Why won't you even _try_ to switch us back?"

He looked at me, as if seeing me for the first time. He stared at me. His eyes searched mine, and I found myself searching as well. For some answer, any answer.

I stepped back when what I found, scared me.

_Bargaining._

"Damon, don't do this," I said, swiping my hand against the tears that welled up in my eyes. I could barely see him through the window in the door, and now it seemed my last look at my body would be a blurry one as well.

He gave me a wry smile, raising on his tiptoes to be able to see through the window better. "Why so sad?" He shrugged, "I'm the one who's going to die."

_I don't want you to die._

The word passes unspoken between us – words I could not say, didn't know she felt; words I knew he needed to hear.

_I don't want you to die, either._

"Bonnie, you've barely lived," Damon said, "You of all people should think this the fairest solution."

_Anger._

"This," I twisted his face into an expression of despair, gestured to his body, "is a fate worse than death."

He smirked, but there was no humor in it. "Don't I know it."

"Damon," I said sternly now, "You can't be serious!"

"Look, we can't deny the world all of that gorgeousness," He glanced at his body, but the way he met my eyes made me think maybe he meant something more.

_Depression._

"Damon," I said, trying to be stern, but it came out more of a sob. I braced my back against the door and slid down against it. I couldn't face him, didn't want to see him. "How can you make this decision for me?"

"This is the right choice," he said.

"I don't get a say in it?"

"No."

"It's my body," I said, failing against the fight against the tears. I caught a sob in my throat.

"It's my soul."

_Acceptance._

He was quiet as I cried. But the steady, calm pound of my heart told me that he was still there.

"I can't believe this is happening," I said. "I'm still a virgin."

"Bonnie," he said with amusement. I forced myself to stand. To face him.

Then, suddenly, it hit me.

"At least," I bat my lashes at him, "At least, one more kiss?"

A crooked smile. "Happy to oblige."

He leaned forward against the door on his tiptoes. I took a step forward, and pressed my face against the bars. There was just enough space.

And there it was.

We kissed.

That magical, heady, rush of a feeling.

I was back in my body.

And then, we _really_ kissed. He grabbed my chin and held it in place, helped me anchor my weight so I could stay standing this tall. He slanted his mouth against mine, forced me to open it. And I let him. Our tongues tangled, our teeth clashed. This was the kiss of a condemned man.

When at last, he finally pulled away, I took a step back.

I was on the other side of the door.

Freedom!

I'd done it!

I smiled with glee.

He shook his head ruefully.

"It's not that easy," he said.

He was right.

In the blink of an eye, we had switched back.

I stared at him, through his eyes, into mine.

He smiled.

"Have a good life, Bonnie Bennett," he offered a quick wave before turning around and heading back upstairs.

_Have a good death, Damon_, I wanted to sneer at him.

But instead, I fell to the ground and cried.

Leave it to Damon to save my life the one time I don't want him to.

**BD**

_Damon's POV_

_You're just too thick headed to get it!_ Bonnie had practically squealed with rage.

It must have been the delirious high of death that had me smiling to myself at her statement as I made my way casually to Klaus' house in a grey hoodie and jeans.

She was the thick-headed one. Didn't she realize, that I was trying to save her ungrateful life? That I was finally trying to be the person she wanted me to be? Damon, the Vamp Crusader. So what if I did it in her body? And no one would know until it was too late? If they ever knew at all…

I knew. She knew. Stefan knew.

I crinkled the paper in my pocket on which Elena had written the spell. Not that I needed it. I knew those weird Latin words. And, unless the Bennett lineage decided to bless me unexpectedly (yeah, right!), I knew they were pointless anyway.

This body might have magic, but this soul couldn't access it.

So here we go. March to my death.

The closer I got to the house, the more the memories came in snippets of sensations, rather than words. The echo of her voice that had haunted me for days, was replaced now with nostalgia.

For the smell of her.

For the humor behind that crooked smile.

Bonnie's warm mouth on mine.

Soft and smooth, like the best liquor.

I almost forgot where I was, what I was meant to be doing when right before me, the door opened, and a Hybrid with a few too many buttons unbuttoned on his shirt, answered the door.

"Bonnie," Klaus greeted me with a nod. In his hand was a single flute of champagne. "Pleased to see you changed your mind about assisting me."

I sighed. I shrugged her little shoulders. "Whatever."

He waved his hand to welcome me in. Deliberately stood in the doorframe so Bonnie's body would brush against his as I squeezed past. If Bonnie's stumpy arms could reach, I would've punched the smug smile off his face.

"So," I said, sauntering into the hallway. I pulled the paper from my hands, twirled it around my fingers. Glanced around the place. Yup, remember _that_ room.

A vision of Bonnie, standing, watching me, delirious and bleeding out hit me. I almost sneered.

_That little-_

"Something interest you?" Klaus asked, resting a hand on my shoulder. I jumped and jerked away from his touch. He took a sip of his champagne and nodded towards the room where Rebekah had tortured me.

I turned to glare at him, "You know very well what happened in that room." I suppressed a shiver. "You stopped me from helping him."

Klaus frowned, taking another slow sip of champagne. "Perhaps we should discuss what I require your-"

I grabbed the champagne glass from his hand and dashed it to the ground. It broke without much ceremony. I narrowed my eyes at him, concentrating _really fucking hard_ at the space between his eyes. Aneurysm! Aneurysm! _Commee onnnn_… No matter how hard I squinted, nothing happened. _Come on, Bennett, I know all you do is twitch that little nose of yours and-_

Bang! One second I'm seeing Klaus' meaty face, the next my back is up against the wall. I twisted my face.

"You're not gonna kiss me again, are you?" I shuddered, "Because," dramatic pause, "blech."

His hand wrapped around my neck. "Were you trying to injure me with one of your little spells?"

A beat.

"Yes."

"You're supposed to deny it," He growled.

"No, then."

He banged my head against the wall again. I was suddenly hit with the realization that Bonnie Bennett was fucking mortal and that bloody hurt! I saw stars. STARS! The room spun. It whooshed and whirled. His face vamped out, but with a third bang of my head against the wall I was too weak to fight back.

This feeling. _This feeling._ Helpless. At his mercy. His snarled again – I suppose that drool was the sappy wolf-pup in him – and I knew it with a realization that sunk at the pit of my stomach.

The room spun and tilted. I blinked and the world went dark and then bright again.

_Brain damage_, I thought.

_This is it_, I thought.

I started the Latin chanting. Nothing happened. He tilted his head as he regarded me.

I tried again. Mispronunciation? I haven't taken Latin since the 1800s! COME ON!

Nothing.

Again.

He laughed now, his spit hitting me in the face. I sneered, he grinned.

"Your spells can't hurt this body," His grip tightened. "Traitor."

_This is it_, I thought again.

Death.

A strange, eerie calm settled over me.

My saliva felt cold, my tongue heavy in my mouth. _I'm going to die. Because Elena asked me too. Because I had to protect Bonnie. I'm going to die._

And I'm scared.

Damon Salvatore is… scared.

There's so much more life left to live. I didn't ask for this! But I had to do it, and it had to be done by me. Because Elena couldn't get hurt, and Bonnie couldn't get hurt. So it had to be me. It had to be me. I'm the expendable one. Me.

_I'd gladly let Bonnie Bennett die for you. _

My own voice this time.

The world spun again. Everything titled and twisted upside down.

The world went black.

**BD**

_Damon's POV_

And then it was bright again.

Well, relatively speaking.

There were no hands at my throat. I reached up and rubbed where Elijah's hands had touched, and found nothing there.

Except, an Adam's apple.

I blinked. I looked around, as if for the first time, and realized I was in the Boarding House cellar.

I was in Bonnie's Dungeon.

My heart didn't beat.

I was in my own body.

Which should make me happy, but my stomach was sinking faster than the freaking Titanic.

Because if I was here, then that meant Bonnie was…

….

"STEFAN!"


End file.
